A bolt of celestial lightning, a rogue star of thunder, summoned Wang Lin to the realm of the Lightning Immortals. As it pierced the veil of crimson energy, the raw power within surged, amplifying exponentially to a fearsome degree.

Like a maddened dragon, the energy flooded Wang Lin’s form. In a single breath, his entire being went numb, even his nascent soul seized and bound by the rampant electricity.

The speed of this event left him no time to comprehend. In the blink of an eye, a jolt coursed through him, freezing him as if under a spell. Carried by the thunderous comet, he plunged into the Lightning Immortal Realm.

Unable to even glimpse his surroundings, he remained captive within the meteor’s embrace. It hurtled downward, a celestial stone hurled from the heavens, crashing onto a shattered continent with an earth-shattering roar.

The impact birthed a violent tempest that erupted outwards, engulfing the fragmented land in swirling dust and obscuring everything beyond a few paces.

The very earth trembled as though a slumbering dragon stirred beneath. Slowly, the land quieted as the dust storm subsided.

Only a gaping, concave crater marred the eastern side of the continent, testament to the cataclysm that had just transpired. Wisps of azure smoke curled from its depths, vanishing on the wind.

A network of crackling lightning still danced upon the disturbed earth at the crater’s edge, amidst patches of scorched soil.

The pit was unfathomably deep. At its bottom, Wang Lin lay broken and bleeding, his body ravaged by the impact, a pitiful sight.

Though more stable than the Rain Immortal Realm he had once known, this realm was nonetheless on the precipice of collapse, a matter of degrees between impending doom.

The meteor’s devastating arrival further destabilized the fragmented continent. The newly formed chasm soon crumbled, a low rumble echoing through the desolate landscape. When the dust settled, the pit was gone, buried beneath tons of rock and debris.

Suddenly, as if conjured from thin air, a white-haired elder appeared at the crater’s former location. He gazed down, a bemused smile playing on his lips. “In all my long years, never have I seen one so greedy, so eager to force entry into the Lightning Immortal Realm… Hmm?”

His eyes narrowed, scrutinizing the scene. He muttered to himself, “The whelp’s soul… imbued with the power of lightning. Even his very flesh seems woven from electricity! Absurd! Does he seek to cultivate as man or spirit? If he continues on this path, he’ll become a Lightning Spirit, sure as the sun rises!”

“However, the location of his fall…intriguing! Ah well, to be witnessed by this old one is a stroke of fate indeed!” A flicker of interest ignited in his eyes. He raised a hand, casually pressing it downward. Instantly, the land was bisected by a beam of light. With a ripple in the air, the elder vanished. Few indeed were those whose paths intertwined with his, and even fewer found it a comfortable experience.

Time trickled onward. Deep beneath the surface, Wang Lin’s eyes fluttered open. Agonizing pain wracked his body. Even his soul felt sluggish and unresponsive.

He grimaced, taking in his surroundings. He was trapped within a collapsed stone chamber, a trickle of earth falling from the ceiling. After a moment of observation, he struggled to sit, crossing his legs and closing his eyes to meditate.

He cautiously circulated his nascent soul, immediately detecting a foreign surge of lightning energy that interfered with its flow. This alien power was the cause of his current malaise.

Silence reigned around him. Wang Lin delved deeper into his meditation. Behind him, a ghostly figure shimmered into existence: his Immortal Guard puppet, which took a vigilant seat opposite him, ever watchful for any threat.

Seven days slipped by. Wang Lin opened his eyes, expelling a deep breath, tinged with residual lightning.

“Such recklessness must be avoided in the future…” he thought. “Fortunately, the disruptive energy was minimal. Had it been greater, its removal would have been a far more arduous task.”

The foreign energy purged, Wang Lin felt his injuries begin to heal. His soul recovered, though his physical body remained damaged, it no longer hindered his cultivation. He rose to his feet, gazing at the ceiling of earth and stone above. He took a step forward, launching himself towards the barrier.

“Having arrived in the Lightning Immortal Realm, I must see what sets it apart from the Realm of Rain!”

He streaked forward like a shooting star. Yet, the instant he touched the earthen ceiling, it pulsed with light. He crashed against an unyielding force, as if colliding with a wall of iron. With a deafening boom, he was hurled back into the chamber.

Stumbling backward, he stared up in shock.

“This…this earth is infused with celestial energy!” Wang Lin inhaled sharply, his eyes narrowing as he studied the barrier. His expression darkened.

“Not naturally occurring celestial energy, but a power woven by magic. Someone desires to keep me contained!” A glint of cold anger flashed in his eyes.

When he had arrived in the realm inside the meteor, though injured, he’d retained a vague sense of his surroundings. Then, the earth had been far more solid than anything he’d known, but it had not impeded his progress by actively blocking his abilities.

Yet now, the soil had been transformed. Wang Lin felt a surge of alarm and suspicion.

“Is this the work of an individual? Or, has the raw power of the lightning warped this place…?” Wang Lin pondered for a moment. An idea struck him. He mentally commanded his Immortal Guard to take flight, testing different points within the chamber.

The results were clear. Save for the path directly ahead, every attempt at escape – above, below, behind, and to each side – was met with an impenetrable barrier.

Wang Lin’s face grew even darker. He could be certain now: This was the work of another. Someone had perceived his arrival and sealed him in this place, leaving him only one path forward. It was a blatant, forceful proclamation: He had no choice but to advance.

He had spent days healing. He had no idea if the Lightning Immortal Realm was now open to others, and so couldn’t guess the identity of the one who had sealed him in. He calmed himself, and considered the implications of the situation.
To imprison a fragment of the Immortal Realm… the cultivator behind this must possess power beyond reckoning! Yet, what purpose guides him in beckoning me forward? His methods suggest a more direct approach, were hostility his intent…” Wang Lin mused, his gaze sharp beneath the flickering light, settling upon a breach in the wall. This rent was forged by the Immortal Guard puppet’s desperate search for egress, a single, forceful blow against the unyielding stone.

“Enough. To linger is futile. I shall venture forth and discover the nature of this enigma!” A glint of steel flickered in Wang Lin’s eyes. He struck his storage bag, and in his hand materialized a celestial brush, gleaming with golden light.

Grasping the brush firmly, the unholy rift upon his brow pulsed with a faint, crimson luminescence, casting an aura of dark charisma about him. With a precise hand gesture, he summoned a surge of immortal energy, shaping it into a tempestuous wind. The earth before him buckled and roared as if besieged by a hurricane, swiftly scattering in all directions to reveal a winding passage.

Wang Lin cast his divine sense into the darkness. A labyrinth of twisting tunnels stretched before him, their destinations unknown. He divided his senses into countless tendrils, exploring the maze, yet never finding an end to their branching paths.

After a moment of thoughtful contemplation, Wang Lin moved as a wraith, venturing deeper into the labyrinth. His senses remained fully extended, seeking an exit, an avenue to freedom. He attempted to breach the surface from various points, unleashing formidable spells, but each effort was thwarted by unseen, arcane restraints.

As he journeyed onward, his gaze sharpened. His divine sense had located an intersection ahead, and beyond it, an exit! With a surge of speed, Wang Lin hurtled towards it.

Yet a seed of unease sprouted in his heart. The discovery of this escape seemed… too facile.

“Could this place be a natural anomaly, born not of deliberate magic, but of elemental forces, of raging lightning?” Wang Lin’s pace faltered as he considered this possibility.

At that very instant, the exit upon which he had fixed his senses blazed with a burst of light. As the light faded, so too did the exit, vanishing into the ether.

Wang Lin halted, his expression darkening. After a brief period of reflection, he emitted a low growl and resumed his advance, reaching the place where the exit had once been. He examined the area with meticulous care, then, wordlessly, pivoted and chose another fork in the path.

His divine sense remained vigilant, scrutinizing every intersecting passage. Half an hour later, it detected another exit, where beyond it he glimpsed a grey sky and flashes of lightning – a clear sign that it led to the surface world.

Without hesitation, Wang Lin sprinted towards this new opening.

He moved with blinding speed, hampered only by the inability to teleport within this strange realm. Nonetheless, with a series of swift strides, he arrived at the exit, launching himself forward with desperate urgency when he was but ten paces away.

But as before, the exit shimmered with a blinding, white light and vanished without a trace.

Wang Lin’s fist clenched. His expression was a mask of grim fury. He lifted his head, his gaze as though piercing through the very heart of the earth. He drew several deep breaths, then turned and strode away.

“This place is undoubtedly crafted by sorcery!” Wang Lin raged silently as he sped through the endless tunnels. He cast aside his desperate impatience. It was clear that these exits were being manipulated, dangled before him as tantalizing illusions, forever out of reach. To succumb to anxiety, to allow his thoughts to be consumed by the desire for freedom, would only make his escape more arduous.

Meanwhile, in a hidden corner of the Realm of Thunder, an elderly man with hair of snow stood with his hands clasped behind his back, a smile playing upon his lips. “It has been long since I encountered a promising youth with such affinity. Very well, if you can escape within seven days, you will prove yourself even more worthy of my attention! I sincerely hope this young fellow succeeds within the allotted time, for there are many places within the Realm of Thunder perfectly suited for my chosen disciples!”

Three days passed as swiftly as a phantom breeze. Wang Lin’s form darted through the subterranean maze like a bolt of lightning. His divine sense, constantly extended, discovered an exit roughly every half hour. However, he no longer approached these apparitions. Instead, he continued his relentless march, mapping his surroundings.

In three days, he had traversed every single tunnel within this prison. A complete and detailed map formed within his mind.

And with that map, he had found the means of escape.