The crimson divine dragon coiled in the void, its twin eyes blazing like ten-thousand-year Divine Flames, illuminating the vast expanse of the cosmos.

Clutched in the dragon's mouth was an antique, ancient lamp, mottled with the rust of ages past. Upon the lamp stood a single green candle.

This was none other than the Ancient Green Candle Lamp.

One of the Taiyi Divine Artifacts, an innate treasure.

The power of an innate treasure varies greatly, depending on the Great Dao it embodies.

The stronger the Dao, the stronger the treasure.

This candle was at the ceiling of treasures in the Small Thousand World.

Beyond that lay the legendary Immortal Artifacts.

Immortal Artifacts, perhaps, could only be found in the Medium Thousand Worlds.

"You've arrived." The Candle Dragon's expression betrayed no surprise, as though it had long anticipated Song Lin's arrival.

Though the two had never truly met before, their spirits had communed for ages.

Boom!

Song Lin revealed his dharma image.

Nine-Transformation Mysterious Skill, Dharma Manifestation Heaven and Earth.

With the addition of Innate Pure Yang's augmentation, his dharma body grew to towering heights spanning thousands of miles, its entire form radiant like pure golden amber.

In one hand, he wielded the Pure Yang Human Emperor Sword; in the other, the Pure Yang Golden Fire Lamp.

Golden blood and Qi surged skyward, faintly manifesting the dharma image of Kunlun—this was the Yang Immortal Dharma Image.

"Ha-ha, come, let us battle!"

Boom!

The dragon and the man clashed in the void.

Mana sliced like knives, and even the slightest remnant of their power crashing out could shatter passing meteors.

Flames, icy winds, thunder, and blazing suns filled this segment of the starry skies.

The Candle Dragon could no longer remain stable in the void—it realized that Song Lin's power was extraordinarily strong, especially his dharma body, as solid as a celestial star.

Boom!

The divine dragon lashed its tail; the crimson scales carried destructive energies capable of vaporizing everything in their wake.

Bang!

Dragon's tail collided with an iron fist, and a fiery meteor shower rained across the starscape.

The entire mortal realm witnessed what seemed to be a grand cosmic firework display.

Both combatants retreated several miles, separated by the impact.

The Candle Dragon shifted its position, revealing the original sun, creating a stunning spectacle of three suns dazzling in the heavens.

Soon after, the two leaped and clashed within a void spanning hundreds of miles, dazzling bursts of brilliance erupting with each confrontation.

Below, mortals glimpsed fleeting sights of candle flames appearing toward the south, stars being manipulated by Taoist Soldiers, fire dragons spewing flames, and black banners unfurling in the winds.

In the mortal realm, with the addition of the Twelve Yuan Chen, the Heavenly Court Army gained the upper hand.

When Chaos was sealed away by the Heavenly Burial Coffin, the Demon Army collapsed instantly, leaving only one-sided carnage in its wake.

Among the stars, the Candle Dragon grew frantic.

It wished to intervene but was blocked by Song Lin at every turn.

Their battle now took place above a desolate star three million miles away from the Ancestor Star.

The barren star had no atmosphere; the entire celestial body was bleak and frozen.

As their battle carved out massive chasms tens of thousands of feet deep into the star's surface, the star core was exposed, spewing molten magma.

At this moment, the Candle Dragon seized an opportunity to escape the star.

"Die!"

The Candle Dragon roared furiously as the green candle flared brilliantly, unleashing limitless Pure Yang Power that converged above.

Bang!

The entire star ignited, transforming into a miniature sun.

Pure Yang Power formed an array, sealing Song Lin tightly within, its irresistible gravity dragging him into the star's core.

Using the celestial body as a tripod, today, it would refine Song Lin into a completed Perfect Dao.

At this thought, the candle in the dragon's mouth poured forth all its energy in an unending torrent.

Boom!

The flames surged, burning fiercely.

The star's lifespan burned away rapidly.

The Candle Dragon no longer cared for the mortal world—as long as it could kill Song Lin, even the deaths of countless demons below would be worthwhile.

At the star's core, Song Lin shrank his form back to the size of an ordinary mortal.

All around him was an endless sea of flames and forces that seemed intent on tearing him apart.

"So, you even have such a move…"

In this moment, Song Lin felt as though he was back in Lord Lao Zi's Alchemy Furnace.

The Candle Dragon indeed lived up to being a ten-thousand-year-old monster. To go up against such a being meant any carelessness could lead to complete annihilation, the dissipation of both his body and soul.

His golden body began to melt. Shocked as he was, there was also a flicker of joy in his heart.

Ever since he mastered the Nine-Transformation Mysterious Skill, no flame in existence had been able to refine his body. Yet here, deep within the star's core, such power still existed.

Though this scene was perilous to the extreme—with the slightest misstep spelling certain doom—there was also a tinge of exhilaration.

Harmonization was the pinnacle of a world; many cultivation techniques reached their limits at this stage.

The Nine-Transformation Mysterious Skill had long stagnated in progress.

Perhaps today was the opportunity to ascend to a new level of understanding.

Of course, this seemed the only viable escape, for the alternative was certain death.

If he didn't strive, death was assured.

But what if he could seize an opportunity amidst this crisis?

With that in mind, Song Lin decided to stop resisting the heat with his mana and instead embrace it. Loosening control slightly, he allowed the True Fire to temper his golden body within safe bounds.

Refining the body through stars, tempering the golden body anew.

Amidst the boundless, apocalyptic flames, the Undying Golden Body sat calmly, undisturbed.

The initial pain nearly caused Song Lin to black out, but as the tempering progressed, that pain gradually faded away.

Nine Transformations was not the pinnacle.

Techniques for tempering the golden body were similar to the principles of Alchemy Dao; just as a pill could only undergo nine refinements to reach its peak, so too did this method adhere to the limitations of the universe.

Beyond nine transformations lay only ruin, like ash remaining from over-refined alchemy.

This was a universal law—all things had limits.

The physical body had limits, but the mind had none.

The final step of refinement involved both the Primordial Spirit and physical form, fusing both into a simultaneously refined state.

Upon grasping this principle, Song Lin's cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds.

Nine-Transformations Harmonized as One!

But Harmonization was not the endpoint—it paved the way for another cycle of nine transformations.

When nine cycles followed by nine transformations were achieved, the body's strength would reach an unimaginable level.

At its apex, even shattering stars with a single hand might no longer be a fantasy.

One exhalation could sweep away celestial bodies. At that time, even the Small Thousand World would be unable to contain his power.

That would be the truly perfect state.

A month passed.

The star gradually withered, its radiance dimming.

The Candle Dragon grew anxious, wishing it could pour in more power. It dreaded Song Lin escaping again, fearing all its efforts would be for naught.

After all, capturing someone at the Harmonization stage was exceedingly difficult.

In the mortal world, the Demon Army had been entirely routed. Demon beasts scattered in all directions, and three of the Four Great Fierce Beasts lay dead.

While the Candle Dragon cared little for its subordinates' lives, the prolonged stagnation and uncertain outcome wore on its nerves, filling it with unease.

Boom!

At that moment, the star exploded, launching countless shards in every direction.

The Candle Dragon instinctively dodged.

Before it could clearly perceive anything, it saw a faint streak of golden light shooting toward the vast depths of the void.

"Escaping? You won't escape!"

The Candle Dragon roared, ignoring the meteors smashing against its body. It pursued Song Lin with reckless abandon.

Yet, as though refreshed by divine pills, Song Lin vanished into the endless void within moments.

"No matter how far or how long, I swear to destroy you!"

Its voice pierced through the void, echoing among the stars.

For this was the key to achieving the Dao—it must not let its prey slip away.

The Palace of the Polestar.

Song Lin's figure appeared with a swoosh. The Candle Dragon likely had no idea he could return to the Palace of the Polestar from any location.

"East Lord!"

The gathered immortals saluted.

"Rise. Have you analyzed the Returning Ruins?"

Bai Ze stepped forward to report, "East Lord, we cast the fierce beasts into the Returning Ruins and traced its outline through their Divine Thoughts."

As he spoke, the immortals presented an exceptionally intricate drawing.

"Hold on."

Song Lin committed the diagram to memory, then returned to reality.

The day he emerged from seclusion would be the day the Candle Dragon met its end.

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