019 : Beyond the Mortal Path.

Inside a grand floating palace, high above the mortal world, a group of ancient cultivators sat in a dimly lit chamber.

They were elders of the Celestial Dao Palace, the strongest sect in the world—an order of beings who had long since surpassed Nascent Soul and reached the heights of Divine Transformation.

And yet, even they had been disturbed.

A hooded figure, his voice calm but heavy with meaning, spoke first.

"The Heavenly Dao has failed to strike him down."

Another elder, his silver beard flowing like mist, slowly opened his eyes. "Then this Lin Tian… is not bound by the rules of the world."

Silence followed.

Then, the Grand Elder, the most ancient among them, finally spoke.

"Send the Oracle Envoys." His voice was cold, final. "We will learn the truth of this anomaly. If he cannot be controlled…"

His eyes darkened.

"Then we will erase him ourselves."

The order was given.

The strongest sect in existence had begun to move.

But they did not realize—they were already too late.

Meanwhile, Lin Tian stood at the edge of the Forbidden Lands, staring into the horizon.

He could feel it now.

Something he had never sensed before.

A higher realm of power.

Nascent Soul had once been the goal. But now, he could see past it.

"There's more."

He had broken past mortal cultivation.

And now, he had one goal.

Not just to grow stronger.

Not just to rule the world.

But to step beyond it.

If the heavens rejected him…

Then he would rise above them.

Lin Tian took a step forward—toward destiny itself.

But just as Lin Tian prepared to leave, a voice called out.

"Lin Tian."

He stopped.

The air shook.

The overwhelming pressure of three Divine Transformation cultivators descended upon the land. The very ground beneath Lin Tian's feet cracked, the sky above trembled, and the space around them distorted under the weight of their power.

The lead envoy, the old man with silver moon-like eyes, gazed down at Lin Tian with an expression of calm superiority.

"You have talent," he admitted. "But against us… you have no chance."

Lin Tian smirked.

"That's what everyone says," he murmured, his golden-black eyes gleaming.

The second envoy, the golden-eyed man, stepped forward. His aura flared—a sun-like radiance bursting from his body, scorching the earth beneath him.

"You think because you defied the heavens once, you can do so again?" He scoffed. "You are still beneath us, Lin Tian."

The third envoy, the woman wreathed in divine qi, remained silent, her expression unreadable. But Lin Tian could feel her power. She was analyzing him, searching for weaknesses.

Lin Tian exhaled slowly. He had never fought a Divine Transformation cultivator before.

But he wasn't afraid.

He could feel it.

Something inside him had changed since absorbing the Heavenly Tribulation.

The old rules no longer applied to him.

And if these envoys thought they could pressure him into submission—

They were dead wrong.

Lin Tian lifted his gaze.

"If you think I'm beneath you," he said softly, "then come."

The three envoys attacked.

BOOOOOOOM!

The golden-eyed envoy struck first. A palm strike of pure celestial energy tore through the air, carrying the weight of an entire mountain. The attack was so powerful that the very space bent around it.

Lin Tian moved.

At the very last second, he sidestepped, his body flickering like a shadow.

The envoy's palm struck the ground—

BOOOOM!

The entire mountainside collapsed.

A massive crater formed where Lin Tian had stood moments ago.

The second envoy's eyes widened.

"He dodged that?!"

Lin Tian reappeared above him, his fingers crackling with violet-gold lightning.

He struck down.

"Devourer Palm!"

The moment his hand connected—

SHHHHHHHHH!

The envoy's qi began to drain.

The man let out a grunt, stepping back, his face twisting in shock. "Impossible—!"

The female envoy reacted instantly. With a flick of her wrist, space itself twisted, forming a protective barrier around her ally.

Lin Tian's draining force was cut off.

The golden-eyed envoy escaped—barely.

Lin Tian chuckled, withdrawing his hand.

"Interesting," he mused. "So Divine Transformation cultivators can resist my Devourer Qi?"

The lead envoy, the silver-eyed elder, watched him carefully.

"He's testing us."

This boy—**this anomaly—**was learning how to fight them in real time.

And that terrified them.

The air crackled with tension.

Lin Tian rotated his shoulders, rolling his neck casually. "I was worried this would be boring," he said. "But you three might actually entertain me for a while."

The golden-eyed envoy growled. "Arrogant brat—!"

He charged again, faster than before.

Lin Tian's golden-black aura surged.

He met the attack head-on.

Their fists collided—

BOOOOOOOM!

The force of the impact shattered the ground beneath them.

The envoy was powerful. Strong. A being who had surpassed Nascent Soul.

But Lin Tian—

He was beyond that.

The moment their attacks connected, Lin Tian's Devourer Nascent Soul trembled—

And something new happened.

For the first time, he wasn't just absorbing qi.

He was absorbing laws.

The very concepts of power that governed cultivation.

The envoy's golden aura dimmed—just slightly. His eyes widened.

"What…?!"

Lin Tian smiled.

"I see," he murmured. "So this is how I break past Divine Transformation."

The three envoys felt it.

The shift.

The realization.

Lin Tian was still evolving.

Mid-battle.

"This is bad," the female envoy said sharply.

The lead envoy, the silver-eyed elder, clenched his fists.

"We need to end this now."

They had come here to test Lin Tian. To see if he was a threat to the Celestial Dao Palace.

Now, they had their answer.

If he lived—he would become unstoppable.

"Formation!" the elder commanded.

The three envoys moved as one.

Their auras fused, forming a Tri-Heaven Suppression Array—a technique designed to seal away even immortal cultivators.

The air locked down.

Lin Tian felt it—space itself tightening, restricting his movements.

His Devourer Qi flickered.

For the first time in a long time…

He felt resistance.

The golden-eyed envoy smirked. "This array was designed to suppress beings beyond Nascent Soul. Let's see how you handle it, monster."

Lin Tian's golden-black aura pulsed.

His smirk remained.

"Suppression?" he murmured.

He lifted his hand.

And then—he crushed the laws binding him.

The formation shattered instantly.

The three envoys' faces paled.

"WHAT?!"

Lin Tian stepped forward.

"You really think you can seal me?"

The lead envoy staggered back.

For the first time, the Celestial Dao Palace had encountered something they did not understand.

And it terrified them.

Lin Tian raised his hand.

"This fight is over."

Lin Tian vanished.

The golden-eyed envoy barely had time to react before—

"Devourer Fist."

Lin Tian's punch slammed into his chest.

The man's body crumbled inward.

His qi shattered.

His Divine Transformation Core fractured.

He let out a choked gasp—

And then, for the first time in history—

A Divine Transformation cultivator was devoured.

The other two envoys watched in horror as their companion's qi, cultivation, and life essence were consumed entirely.

Lin Tian breathed deeply, his aura surging to a terrifying new height.

The silver-eyed elder's hands trembled.

The female envoy took a step back.

"This… this is not possible."

Lin Tian turned to them slowly.

"Now…"

His golden-black eyes burned.

"Which one of you is next?"

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