Chapter 2012: Dim Lights, Ancient Dao Divided Soul!

"I am Gu. I was born before the heavens and earth appeared, and survived before the Universe began. Yet, before me, Immortals still existed. Since the Immortals wished to enslave me, I shall be the one to destroy them!

If I fail, then my descendants, generation after generation, shall be enemies of the Immortals, generation after generation, swearing to leave no Immortal under heaven!

Nine drops of Soul Blood, given to my three sons. You shall lead the ten thousand people of my Gu Clan, and on the day the Nine Bends and Three Phases emerge together, await my Reincarnation, and await the appearance of my Legacy successor…"

Wang Lin sat cross-legged in the Ancestral Temple. His Physical Body was withered, looking like a dried corpse, and his white robe was now loose, as if draped over him.

Inside his mind, this voice constantly surfaced, echoing for a full fifty years. Initially, the voice was faint, like a whisper, but as time passed, the voice in Wang Lin's mind grew stronger, like a roar.

Especially now, it felt as if someone was constantly howling in his ear, and the Heaven-Defying defiance and unwillingness revealed in that howl caused Wang Lin's entire body to boil with blood and burn intensely.

As the blood throughout his body burned, his flesh and blood seemed unable to bear it, constantly withering as if being refined, until now, he resembled a skeletal remnant.

But he felt no weakness whatsoever. Instead, he faintly seemed to contain astonishing vitality and power, as if one day, when Wang Lin's body recovered to its normal state—the state he was in when he first entered the Ancestral Temple—his Physical Body strength would reach an extremely terrifying degree.

The Gu Clan's Three Deficiencies and Seven Tribulations, the Third Deficiency has three tribulations. Besides the Ancient Vein Firmament Blood, there is also the Ancient Dao Divided Soul! Under this division, the members of the Gu Clan can obtain a surge in Gu Clan power when Undergoing Tribulation.

Many cultivators of the Gu Clan's Three Lineages, provided they achieved Twenty-Seven Star Sainthood, have experienced these Three Deficiencies and Seven Tribulations in their lives. Especially the last two tribulations of the Third Deficiency, which must be undergone and passed within the Ancestral Temple of their respective clans.

However, depending on the individual, the improvements and good fortune obtained vary.

For fifty years, Wang Lin remained sitting cross-legged, almost motionless, allowing the voice in his ear to continuously echo. Finally, after Prince Jidu bowed before the temple and departed, Wang Lin sensed the signs of the Second Tribulation of the Three Deficiencies approaching within his body.

The roar in his ear grew increasingly intense, and the boiling and burning of the blood inside his body became fiercer. A sensation of heat slowly erupted from within him, spreading throughout his entire body.

"Ancient Dao Divided Soul…" Wang Lin muttered. From the stone stele here, he learned that this so-called Ancient Dao Divided Soul was not about splitting his Primordial Spirit into three parts.

Instead, it required three cycles of division followed by Fusion. Each division required enduring immense pain, like scattering one's cultivation. He needed tremendous perseverance to slowly fuse them back together before proceeding to the second Divided Soul.

Moreover, after each Fusion, his Primordial Spirit and body would advance by leaps and bounds, becoming increasingly formidable. Once all three cycles were complete, he would successfully pass the Second Tribulation of the Three Deficiencies!

This tribulation would not result in death, but the key was the duration of enduring the division. The longer the duration, the more thorough the division, which meant greater benefits, but also enduring the greatest pain.

This kind of pain was unbearable for ordinary people, and even the Imperial Clan couldn't endure it for long. Most who underwent this tribulation often chose Fusion halfway through, rather than waiting for complete division, resulting in differing levels of fortune and improvement.

"During the Ancient Dao Divided Soul, one can choose Fusion at any time…" Wang Lin's eyes flashed.

Throughout history, there have been those with great perseverance, but although this tribulation generally doesn't result in death, if the Primordial Spirit is thoroughly and completely divided, it makes Fusion difficult and can lead to a phenomenon where Fusion is impossible. In such a case, death will occur!

Therefore, even members of the Imperial Clan, even those with powerful perseverance, would absolutely not choose this path. And even if they did, they would usually only gamble once during the first Divided Soul. Those who risk their lives during the second attempt are extremely rare.

Those who gamble during the third attempt are even fewer, and almost all of them die.

Legend has it that over countless millennia, only the strongest person in Immortal Astral, the Ancient Dao Great Heavenly Venerate, chose complete division during the third attempt, and he ultimately succeeded.

Compared to the Second Tribulation of the Three Deficiencies, the so-called Third Tribulation can actually no longer be called a calamity. This is the Gu Ancestor's Bestowal, a reward obtained in the depths of fate by members of the Gu Clan after they have passed the Three Deficiencies and Six Tribulations.

Perhaps it's a trace of memory, perhaps an incomplete Divine Ability, or perhaps extremely pure Gu Ancestor Blood… There is also a slight possibility that it could be Soul Blood… However, this slight possibility is merely a rumor, mostly fabricated by later generations seeking hope. It is said that even the Ancient Dao Great Heavenly Venerate did not obtain this rumored possibility during the Gu Ancestor's Bestowal.

It is only said that what the Ancient Dao Great Heavenly Venerate obtained was extraordinary, but no one knows what it was.

Wang Lin took a deep breath. His body slowly began to tremble as his blood boiled and burned. Waves of intense pain emerged, fusing with the roar in his mind, forming a strange power that enveloped his entire body. At the same time, he clearly felt that traces of fragmentation were gradually appearing in his Primordial Spirit.

"Finally… it begins!!" Wang Lin abruptly looked up, his eyes completely calm. He had waited fifty years for this day! Whether he could obtain Soul Blood, and whether he could allow Li Muwan's body to enter the Primordial God Realm, depended on this Ancestral Temple Undergoing Tribulation!

The traces of fragmentation in his Primordial Spirit slowly grew more pronounced. Simultaneously, waves of unimaginable agony suddenly descended. However, Wang Lin's perseverance allowed him to endure this level of pain.

But this was only the very beginning!

"If I want to obtain Soul Blood, I must use my utmost endurance during this Second Tribulation of the Three Deficiencies to see where the limit of this tribulation lies!" A trace of decisiveness and determination flashed in Wang Lin's eyes. He slowly closed them, preparing to endure the arrival of this tribulation!

The moment Wang Lin began undergoing the Ancient Dao Divided Soul, circular ripples suddenly appeared outside the body of the Ancient Ancestor Statue in the Ancestral Temple where he was located. These ripples spread in all directions, almost covering the entire Shigu Imperial City.

This strange phenomenon immediately attracted the attention of all the members of the Shigu Lineage.

"The Ancient Ancestor Statue is emitting rings of light! Someone is Undergoing Deficiency Tribulation!"

"Look at the nine rings of light. This is the Ancient Dao Divided Soul within the Second Tribulation of the Three Deficiencies, and it's the First Divided Soul! If it were the second attempt, eighteen rings of light should appear."

"Strange, the Ancestral Temple Undergoing Tribulation is never opened for an individual. Each time, one must wait for the Imperial Clan to organize it, and the Ancestral Temple is only uniformly opened once the number of people is sufficient.

But we haven't heard about this happening in recent years."

"I wonder how many people are Undergoing Tribulation this time, and how long they can last. Usually, it ends after just a few days."

The Shigu clansmen were not too surprised by the anomaly on the Ancient Ancestor Statue. Clearly, they had witnessed such events several times before, so they glanced at it and then withdrew their gaze, paying it no further attention.

But what they didn't know was that the instant the nine rings of light appeared on the Ancient Ancestor Statue, the Shigu Imperial Venerate in the Imperial Palace, along with Jidu, all gazed toward it.

"Fifty years… he finally began the First Divided Soul… I wonder how long he can last. Someone from my Shigu Lineage once took a full year during this First Divided Soul to reach the state of Perfection. I wonder if this person can do the same." The Shigu Imperial Venerate silently watched the distant Ancient Ancestor Statue for a long time before withdrawing his gaze.

At this moment, Jidu also stood by the window in his residence palace, gazing into the distance. His wife was beside him, looking along with him.

"Adoptive Father…" Jidu murmured. His wife held his hand, looking at him gently.

Furthermore, at this moment, on the Primitive Mountain outside the Imperial City, Song Tian, dressed in a green robe, walked out from his secluded cultivation spot. With his hands clasped behind his back, he looked toward the Imperial City.

"Given his cultivation, he will definitely choose complete division during the First Divided Soul, so the time won't be short… Forget it. I once secretly attacked him twice when he was in secluded cultivation. Although I later recognized Jidu as the Imperial Venerate, I was still the one who offended first… Yet, after his arrival, he didn't pursue the matter… I shall serve as his Protector for the First Divided Soul as repayment." Song Tian stepped forward, his figure instantly vanishing. When he reappeared, he was outside the Ancestral Temple of the Imperial City. He glanced at the Ancestral Temple, sat down cross-legged with his back to it.

"No one is allowed to step within a thousand zhang radius of the Ancestral Temple. Violators shall die!" Song Tian's Divine Thought spread out, encompassing the surroundings.

While enduring the pain of Primordial Spirit division inside the Ancestral Temple, Wang Lin sensed Song Tian's arrival and his words outside, realizing that this person intended to serve as his Protector.

He took a deep breath and transmitted a wave of Divine Thought that echoed in Song Tian's ear.

"Thank you!"

"No need. I, Song, will only protect you during the first division, to settle the matter of my previous attacks." Song Tian did not turn around. Instead, he looked at the sky, pondered briefly, and then ignored everything else, closing his eyes.

The instant Wang Lin withdrew his Divine Thought, his body suddenly trembled, and he abruptly looked up. Despite the significant discomfort caused by beginning the First Divided Soul, his current cultivation still allowed him to sense a figure silently watching the area from the sky curtain.

That figure was familiar to Wang Lin.

"Master…" Wang Lin murmured. He understood that his Master would not leave the Dao Ancient Lineage and come here without reason. His arrival at this moment was clearly to serve as his Protector while he was undergoing the three divisions and was in a weakened state.

In the sky, Xuan Luo looked down, gazing at the Ancient Ancestor Statue and the Ancestral Temple within the Shigu Imperial City. He seemed to faintly sense Wang Lin's Qi inside.

A smile was on his face, and his eyes revealed gentleness.

"You are already stronger than your Master. The only thing your Master can do is come and protect you now, while you are weak due to the Divided Soul process."