Chapter 265: Soul Transformation in Ten Years

The first person Wang Lin killed—to be precise, was his Master, Sun Dazhu!

He raised his hand, his finger descended, and wood shavings flew. Before long, the wood carving took shape, perfectly capturing the expression of despair mixed with fear on Sun Dazhu's face in the moment before his death.

Looking at the wood carving of Sun Dazhu, Wang Lin's heart was calm. Back then, if Sun Dazhu hadn't coveted the Gourd on his person, he certainly wouldn't have ended up dead. Karma cycles; where there is life, there is naturally death.

The second carving was of a middle-aged man. His eyes held a bloodthirsty look, and his lips were thin, making him appear extremely malicious. At that moment, he held a Flying Sword in his right hand, which faintly shimmered with cold light, and a wave of desolate Killing Intent suddenly spread forth.

He was the second person Wang Lin killed—Zhang Hu's Master, the Disciple of Old Man Jimi!

That day, this person harbored Killing Intent toward Wang Lin, but ultimately, he became the second departed soul in Wang Lin's hands.

Wang Lin glanced at the wood carving, placed it aside, and took out another piece of wood.

The third was a young man—Teng Li, who had chased Wang Lin back then! Remembering Teng Li, Wang Lin's state of mind stirred slightly, but it quickly calmed down again.

Scenes involving Teng Li echoed in Wang Lin's mind. After a long time, his right fingertip turned into a knife, swiftly carving the piece of wood. Half an Incense Stick later, the wood carving of Teng Li was complete.

This person was quite handsome, but an arrogant look surfaced on his face. He performed Hand Seals with his right hand, his gaze was gloomy, hiding deep greed, and the corner of his mouth even revealed a faint, determined smile.

However, this smile had long become a thing of the past, having vanished far away. What vanished along with this smile was the entire Teng Family Bloodline.

Wood carvings took shape one after another in Wang Lin's hands. As soon as he finished carving one, he placed it aside. Gradually, the number of wood carvings on the ground increased.

Threads of Killing Intent, which were initially faint, slowly grew denser. With every additional wood carving, the Killing Intent inside the shop intensified by a degree.

If a Cultivator passed by this place right now, they would clearly see that, besides the wind and snow, a layer of ice had formed over the shop where Wang Lin was located.

Wang Lin completely ignored this. He was immersed in his own memories, carving out every departed soul he could recall.

Gradually, Wang Lin forgot that he was carving. He was completely absorbed in his memories, slowly reviewing his four hundred years of life in his mind, as if observing a stranger.

Starting as a Young Man of Twenty, he entered the Hengyue School. Within the Hengyue School, his talent was insufficient, and his cultivation was slow, until the Heaven Defying space, where Situ Nan finally appeared, and the Hengyue School was driven out by the Xuandao Sect.

Next, he left the Hengyue School to Cultivate alone. He then met Zhang Hu, killed Zhang Hu's Master, and went to Teng Family City, but unexpectedly, Teng Li arrived.

Consequently, he separated from Zhang Hu, and to this day, he does not know if Zhang Hu is alive or dead.

Teng Li's pursuit eventually ended with his death at Wang Lin's hands. After that, a path of conflict began: the Corpse Yin Sect, Jue Ming Valley. At this point, a bolt from the blue completely changed his life.

The death of his parents and the savage expression of Teng Huayuan caused his Physical Body to be destroyed, and with the help of Situ Nan, he escaped into the Outer Realm Battlefield.

Thus began four hundred years of slaughter. To increase his cultivation and return for revenge, he spared no effort to raise his cultivation, making himself ruthless, heartless, and even cold-blooded.

The State of Huofen, the Cultivation Devil Sea, the Ancient God Land—these scenes continuously flashed through Wang Lin's mind. The Ten Thousand Devils Hundred-Day Execution Order was the time he killed the most people, excluding the Teng Family incident.

As for the Ancient God Land, especially people like Meng Tuozi, Wang Lin's impression was unforgettable and deeply etched in his memory.

The years spent in the Ancient God Land were a complete transformation for him; both his mind and body underwent a full metamorphosis.

But the dangers there were equally immense; if he had been slightly careless, he certainly wouldn't have been able to leave.

Afterward, he formed his Nascent Soul in the State of Chu and met Li Muwan again. After successfully forming his Nascent Soul, the revenge he had anticipated for four hundred years finally began.

In the State of Zhao, everyone of the Teng Family Bloodline died by Wang Lin's hand, settling this grievance and Karma.

Wang Lin's hands never stopped. As he recalled his memories, wood carvings rapidly took shape. His hands moved faster and faster, leaving only streaks of afterimages.

The images of memory in his mind also sped up. Gradually, he saw his thirty-plus years as a Mortal Transformation—birth, aging, sickness, and death—scenes that were microcosms of life, slowly merging into Wang Lin's consciousness.

After a long time, there were no more memory images in his mind, only two words: Life and Death.

Life and Death are variations of the Heavenly Dao of Reincarnation. Through the four hundred years of slaughter Wang Lin carved, he understood the meaning of death. Through thirty years of Mortal Transformation, he learned the significance of life.

Although he ultimately failed when he previously attempted to comprehend the Heavenly Dao of Reincarnation, it left a profound impression and Concept on him. It was as if a layer of paper had been pierced, allowing Wang Lin to experience this Epiphany in this very instant.

However, Epiphany does not mean full comprehension.

It can only be said that Wang Lin's current state of mind has reached a level where he can control his own cultivation. In the Ancient Cultivation World, there is an ancient saying.

Seeing mountains as mountains, and seeing water as water.

This was exactly Wang Lin's state now.

The moment he opened his eyes, there were already countless wood carvings in the shop. A trace of wicked light shone in Wang Lin's eyes, a gaze quite similar to that of Tuo Sen in the Ancient God Land back then.

He quietly looked at the numerous wood carvings before him and slowly raised his hands. Immediately, the wood carvings trembled abruptly and converged toward his hands. Gradually, more and more wood carvings gathered, but between Wang Lin's hands, a black Vortex appeared. Although the carvings fell into it one by one, the size of the black Vortex remained completely unchanged.

The wood carvings all flew toward Wang Lin's hands. When the last carving vanished into the black Vortex, Wang Lin calmly looked at the Vortex. The Storage Pouch on his waist suddenly opened automatically, and three Evil Qi Blood Orbs flew out from within.

They merged into the Vortex. The instant the last Blood Orb entered the Vortex, an extraordinary light instantly shone in Wang Lin's eyes, and immediately afterward, his hands moved.

The black Vortex rapidly changed shape under the movement of Wang Lin's hands, eventually becoming square and slowly solidifying. After a long time, the black Vortex gradually disappeared, and a black Square Seal appeared before Wang Lin.

This Square Seal was the size of a palm, and engraved on it was a human figure, but this figure had no face, only a silhouette. This Black Seal contained all the slaughter Wang Lin had committed over four hundred years; it was the external manifestation of the meaning of Death.

Wang Lin pressed his right hand onto the Black Seal. Immediately, a feeling like blood dissolving in water surged in his heart. He took a deep breath, and the Black Seal gradually disappeared in his hand, merging into the Nascent Soul within his body.

Wang Lin was silent for a moment, then looked with reluctance at the shop he had lived in for over thirty years. With a casual wave of his right hand, all the wood carvings in the shop instantly vanished.

Afterward, he opened the shop door and walked out into the snowy, windy night.

Wang Lin walked slowly down the street, and the wind and snow grew heavier.

When he first walked out of the shop, his figure was still that of an old man entering his twilight years. But as he walked, as he gradually approached the street corner, his body slowly straightened, the wrinkles on his face gradually disappeared, and finally, the moment he stood at the corner, Wang Lin had successfully transformed from a Mortal into a Cultivator.

Although he still hadn't reached Soul Transformation, at this moment, he was much closer to it. Having grasped the Life and Death Concept and comprehended the Heavenly Dao, Wang Lin could already perceive a feeling of his body wanting to float and fly away, gradually appearing both inside and outside his form.

It was as if a mysterious force in the deep heavens was unfolding above, pulling him upward.

This feeling was a sign of impending Soul Transformation. At this point, he no longer needed to comprehend the Heavenly Dao or sense the Concept; he only needed to find a place, enter seclusion for ten years, and he would naturally reach the Soul Transformation Realm.

Wang Lin stood at the street corner and looked back carefully at the street, where nine out of ten households were already empty—the old street where he had lived for over thirty years. Every blade of grass and every tree here was imprinted in Wang Lin's heart, and he felt a slight reluctance to leave.

After watching for a long time, engraving everything into his memory, Wang Lin sighed softly, turned around, and vanished into the night.

Ten thousand li outside a city south of the Four Sects Alliance, there was a large concentration of Mortals. Simple, cold-resistant shelters covered a wide area, and many people lived in these structures.

They were all Mortals conscripted here to participate in snow clearing work. Da Niu lived in one of these shelters.

More than thirty people shared the room with him, making the already small space quite crowded. Da Niu lay on the communal bed, staring blankly at the roof.

He missed his wife, his son, and even more, Wang Lin.

Everything from the past vanished into thin air during this Snow Disaster.

Before the Snow Disaster, he was a shopkeeper who had more than enough to eat and wear, owned his own shop, and even hired several Assistants. His son had joined an Immortal School and become a member of the Immortals.

On that entire street, he could be said to be quite prestigious.

His wife and he had always been loving, and life was beautiful. He even planned that when Uncle Wang got older, he wouldn't let him carve wood anymore, and he would personally look after him in his old age.

In his heart, the death of his parents had led him to regard Uncle Wang, who had watched him grow up, as his own elder. But this great snow changed everything.

He didn't know how his wife was doing now. When he heard a few months ago that even women and children were being conscripted, he became anxious and uneasy. His wife's health had never been too good; could she withstand this cold, snowy weather…?