From the shimmering portal, as the last vestiges of arcane energy dissipated, a strange new world unfolded before Wang Lin. Above, the sky remained a canvas of perpetual twilight, laced with wandering tendrils of lightning. The land stretched onward, a boundless expanse that defied the eye’s attempt to find its edge.

Though alien, the air carried a familiar resonance, a subtle signature that whispered: this was still the Thunder Immortal Realm.

“Li Yuan possesses true artistry!” Wang Lin murmured, gazing into the distance. He was not one given easily to admiration, but Li Yuan’s mastery of seals and enchantments stirred a rare respect within him.

To weave a teleportation circle within a storage space crafted by an Immortal, the level of control over arcane wards required was something Wang Lin himself doubted he could achieve.

Regaining his composure, Wang Lin raised his right hand, plucking at the lingering energy of the portal behind him. The circle shrank, collapsing into a fist-sized crystal, which he caught and stowed within his pouch.

He surveyed his surroundings, then with a flicker of motion, transformed into a streak of light, hurtling towards the horizon. For days he flew across this shattered continent, secretly charting its features. Finally, in a secluded mountain range, he landed with utmost caution, and after confirming that the area was devoid of prying eyes, he delved into the earth. In its deepest recesses, he concealed the unopenable storage bag of Yao Xixue.

After layering several protective seals, Wang Lin withdrew with meticulous care. To bear the storage bag upon his person would draw unwanted attention, a fatal flaw in the scheme he was about to unleash. With the bag securely hidden, Wang Lin moved swiftly through the earth, traversing a great distance until he emerged upon a vast plain. Glancing back towards the distant mountains, he shot off once more like an arrow loosed from a bow.

His speed was relentless; he lingered not on this fragmented land, but reached its edge and stepped onto the ethereal chains that spanned the void, propelling himself onward.

For a month, he traveled these chains, ever watchful, until another shattered world came into view. With a deep breath, he plunged into its depths, employing the earth-bending arts to find a secluded cavern. There, he sat in meditation, weaving a complex web of forbidden seals.

Throughout his month-long journey, Wang Lin had focused his mind upon the knowledge left behind by Li Yuan, specifically, the intricacies of concealing one’s presence. Driven by the looming threat of the Blood Ancestor, Wang Lin’s progress was swift and profound.

Though complete concealment from the Ancestor’s divine sense was impossible, a degree of obfuscation was within reach. Under normal circumstances, it might not suffice, but given Wang Lin’s grand design, it offered a sliver of hope, a chance to truly vanish.

One by one, the seals manifested around him, forming a spherical prison of arcane energy. As the sphere began to close, the ethereal form of the Immortal Guardian stepped forth from the shadows behind him.

A grim smile touched Wang Lin’s lips as he gazed upon the Guardian. He tossed the teleportation crystal, now a mere shard of crystallized light, and slowly closed his eyes. Severing the connection to his physical body, he sent a fragment of his soul directly into the heart of the Guardian.

It was one of the Guardian’s secret arts, to allow its maker’s spirit to inhabit it, and to be controlled from within.

As his soul departed, Wang Lin’s right hand released the final seal, completing the spherical prison. The sphere pulsed with light, then rapidly contracted, shrinking into a single point, and vanished without a trace.

The Immortal Guardian’s eyes snapped open, burning with a cold light. Seizing the teleportation crystal, he consumed it whole, then with a burst of speed, propelled himself upwards, shattering the surface of the earth.

Testing the movements of his new form, after a moment of disorientation, Wang Lin, now within the Guardian’s shell, probed beneath the earth with his senses. He could not detect the presence of his true body.

“Were it not for the Guardian, the Blood Ancestor would surely find me. But now, I offer myself willingly. The Ancestor, upon sensing my presence, will undoubtedly be drawn to the soul within this shell.”

Wang Lin lowered his gaze upon his new form, and with a flick of his wrist, transformed into a shooting star, streaking towards the horizon. His senses expanded, blanketing the surrounding lands. He was now a beacon in the night, a target any seeker could easily lock upon.

He flew without restraint, a sensation he had been denied ever since he had fled to the Domain of Luotian. The world had forced him to be cautious, forever looking over his shoulder for the pursuing old monsters of the Alliance Star System.

But now, with the Blood Ancestor already on his heels, Wang Lin was free to unleash his spirit. Moreover, housed within the Immortal Guardian, whose power far exceeded that of ordinary mortals, he felt almost invincible.

Thus, as Wang Lin flew, an aura of dominance surrounded him. “Blood Ancestor! I await you!” The fire in Wang Lin’s eyes was intense. He was going to kill! Perhaps it was the raw killing intent that radiated from him, or the aura of the Void Tribulant realm he now exuded, but when other cultivators encountered him, they hesitated and gave him wide berth.

Wang Lin, for his part, did not seek treasures, but moved swiftly from one shattered land to another, each time unleashing the full force of his spiritual sense.

Time flowed by, and five months passed. In that time, Wang Lin charged onward, heedless of all obstacles. He had a grand purpose, and sought no needless confrontation, but if any fool dared cross his path, Wang Lin would unleash a devastating strike.

His formidable body and his soul-powered abilities made him a force to be reckoned with. Within those five months, his name had begun to echo through the shattered lands of the Thunder Immortal Realm.

His physical strength alone was legendary, rivaling the power of a magic treasure. As he traveled from fragment to fragment, even Void Tribulant cultivators often frowned and turned away, preferring to avoid a confrontation.

But Wang Lin did not wander aimlessly. Instead, he moved within a limited sphere, orbiting the region where he had concealed his true body. This served two purposes.

First, he would not accidentally lose the Blood Ancestor. Second, he would indirectly protect his true body from discovery. If he strayed too far, the Ancestor might find his hidden form and gain the upper hand.
The hunt was on. He sought the Blood Ancestor, and the Blood Ancestor, in turn, sought him! Their paths converged, drawing them ever closer.

Clad in crimson robes, the Blood Ancestor strode through the void, each step a near-instantaneous leap, traversing the chains with blinding speed. His expression remained serene, seemingly unmoved by the trials ahead. Yet, the crimson fire burning within his twin sun eyes grew hotter with each passing day. His cultivation was such that even the collapse of the heavens could not stir his heart, but his only daughter, Yao Xixue, was his sole vulnerability. For her, he would defy the very heavens, slaying any who dared stand in his path. Were he forced to choose between the third step of cultivation and his daughter’s well-being, the Blood Ancestor might hesitate, might struggle, but in the end, he would undoubtedly choose his child.

This was the difference between him and beings like Ling Tianhou or Tian Yunzi. Tian Yunzi would likely abandon everything for the sake of the third step! For his daughter, he had forsaken his honor, abandoning the oath sworn before his dying father: to never again set foot in the Roaming Heavens Starfield.

“Father… why force me to swear such an oath, only to leave behind a Roaming Heavens Stone?” This question haunted the Blood Ancestor’s thoughts.

With a steady stride, the Blood Ancestor stepped onto a shattered continent. He unleashed his divine sense, a tempestuous wave sweeping across the land.

In that very instant, his placid countenance twisted into a mask of chilling rage. He slowly raised his gaze, locking eyes with a distant point, his own burning with a palpable, crimson killing intent.

“Wang Lin…”

The killing intent was so potent that a mountain peak before him, bathed in its crimson light, crumbled into dust with a deafening roar.

Amidst the flying debris and rising dust, the Blood Ancestor vanished in a blink.

A heartbeat before the Blood Ancestor’s arrival, Wang Lin himself hurtled from the void chains like a falling star. As he landed on the shattered continent, before his divine sense could even unfurl, the sky above was plunged into shadow. Dark, churning clouds coalesced with terrifying speed.

Even the very land trembled and groaned under some unseen force.

The few cultivators dwelling on this fragment of a world were instantly overwhelmed by a soul-deep tremor. Regardless of their cultivation level, whether nascent or fully realized, the gulf in power was insurmountable. It was as if the heavens themselves had descended in wrath.

Wang Lin froze, his eyes flashing with fierce light, his gaze fixed on the distance. A cold smile played on his lips.

“He’s finally come…”

A thunderous crack rent the sky asunder. Countless clouds were torn apart as if by colossal hands, revealing a blood-red glow that cascaded downwards, blanketing the land. A violent torrent of divine sense, infused with the power of a Second Step spell, swept over the shattered continent, threatening to tear it apart. The crimson light intensified, flooding the fragmented world, as if plunging it into a sea of blood.

A hundred paces before Wang Lin, the crimson light coalesced, forming a figure. Almost instantly, the form solidified, revealing a middle-aged man with scarlet hair, blood-red eyebrows, and robes of deepest crimson. His features were exquisitely handsome, making even the renowned Qian Feng appear dull in comparison.

An aura of undeniable power radiated from the man. He gazed at Wang Lin with unnerving calm, uttering not a single word.

Yet, Wang Lin could see it – the barely contained crimson fire burning within the man’s tranquil eyes, a fire that threatened to consume the world. Without a moment’s hesitation, he raised his right hand and pointed!

A single finger lanced forth, splitting the very air with a series of sharp cracks, aimed directly at Wang Lin’s brow.

“If you kill me, Yao Xixue will surely die, even with the Blood Soul Pill!” Wang Lin declared, his eyes locked on the Blood Ancestor, as the finger drew ever closer.