Having drawn the ire of the Four Great Houses, Wang Lin resolved to strike with ruthless cunning. With a flick of his wrist, he began to weave a web of insidious enchantments across the shattered land. He poured every ounce of his power into this dark art, using the very essence of the shattered continent as a foundation, he cast rune after rune into the ether.

This process stretched for nigh ten days, until at last, Wang Lin stood at the edge of the fragmented realm, at the very point where he had first entered, and with a surge of power, he burst forth into the void.

These arcane wards were designed only to prevent entry; departure remained unhindered.

A fortnight hence, within the starless expanse, Wang Lin and Li Yuan were but two streaks of incandescent light, hurtling through the void.

Li Yuan’s left hand throbbed with aching fatigue, and a significant portion of his inner strength had been drained. He glanced at Wang Lin beside him, and forced a wry smile. “Brother Xu, upon the edge of that shattered land, I laid no less than ten thousand enchantments. Bound together, these wards possess formidable might. Unless the very elders of the Four Great Houses themselves come to bear, I daresay they shall find it exceedingly difficult to pierce.”

Half a moon before, when Wang Lin emerged from the fragment, Li Yuan had immediately appeared. At Wang Lin’s request, Li Yuan abstained from using his family’s Heaven-Rending Seals, and instead, with other mystical inscriptions, thoroughly sealed the continent where the Treasury Pavilion resided.

“Brother Li,” Wang Lin said, “My affairs in the Realm of Thunder are complete. Let us make haste to depart!” He tapped his storage pouch and produced a Thunder Cauldron. He had slain many a foe, and a mere rummage through their belongings yielded such treasures.

“Brother Xu, do you not wish to investigate the fractured lands where the surges of celestial energy emanate?” Li Yuan clearly wished not to leave at present, and inquired with earnest interest.

Wang Lin shook his head, and his gaze drifted out into the void. “Nay, I shall not.” His mind conjured the image of the swirling, multicolored vortex within the passage, and a faint sense of foreboding settled upon his heart.

Moreover, the thrill of acquiring the Treasury Pavilion still pulsed through him. With such a prize in his possession, his first thought was to flee.

For this Pavilion was of utmost importance to the Four Great Houses, both in terms of reputation and practical value. Once they became aware of its loss, they would unleash a relentless manhunt upon Wang Lin.

“However,” Wang Lin said, “as the shattered land was previously sealed, it is unlikely that the outside world is fully aware of the changes that have befallen it!”

He did not disclose to Li Yuan the matter of the Treasury Pavilion, for such a weighty secret was not to be divulged until he was absolutely certain it would benefit him.

Li Yuan pondered for a moment, and then nodded. “Agreed. It is best to depart. To leave the Realm of Thunder, one must go to the Gate of Ascension, and only there can one activate the Thunder Cauldron for return.”

Wang Lin gave a curt nod. He had learned of this long ago from Shen Gonghu.

Having made their decision, the two sped through the void. The Gate of Ascension lay far to the west, and Wang Lin’s current location was still a considerable distance away.

As they flew, a great and unsettling change swept through the Realm of Thunder.

Upon the many shattered continents, and the four fragments in particular where the potent surges of celestial energy resonated, large numbers of cultivators converged. Almost all of those who had come to the Realm of Thunder, having learned of the celestial energy by various means, flocked to these places with all possible haste.

In response to the surges of celestial energy, four ancient arrays and enchantments manifested upon the four fragments. Some lay nestled within mountain ranges, others were revealed amidst vast ruins.

Celestial energy pulsed forth from these arrays, permeating the heavens and scattering afar. As the cultivators gathered, it was inevitable that masters of enchantment would emerge. After reaching an accord among themselves, the experts set to work unraveling the arcane bindings one by one.

These four fragmented continents, each exuding surges of celestial energy, marked the cardinal directions: east, west, north, and south. On the western fragment, Shen Gonghu gazed calmly upon a plain. Within this plain, lay a large arcane array, spanning a thousand yards. Thick celestial energy emanated from within, diffusing into the sky and spreading far and wide.

Outside the confines of this vast array, a multitude of cultivators had gathered, often in groups of three or five, their eyes fixed upon the swirling energies within. Among them were masters of enchantment, attempting to decipher the patterns that lay before them.

Shen Gonghu frowned, for he clearly recalled having been here but a few months prior. At that time, no such enchantment existed. Why, then, had such a massive array appeared in the space of mere months?

As he pondered, an inexplicable sense of unease crept into his heart.

Suddenly, long streaks of light appeared in the distant sky, and more than a dozen rays of sword-light hurtled towards the plain, scattering into individual cultivators. Leading the pack was Zhan Konglie.

He spied Shen Gonghu standing alone, and with a brisk step, approached the man. “Brother Shen Gong, you have arrived early!”

Shen Gonghu frowned slightly, and said cooly, “Rather, you are late!”

Zhan Konglie smiled, and stood beside Shen Gonghu. He gazed at the array in the distance, and said, “Does Brother Shen know who I encountered along the way?”

“I do not,” Shen Gonghu said, showing no interest in the topic. His eyes were still fixed on the plain.

Zhan Konglie was well aware of Shen Gonghu’s temperament. “It was the Exalted One!”

Shen Gonghu’s eyes flickered, and he turned to Zhan Konglie. “Is this true?” he asked gravely.

Zhan Konglie smiled. “Absolutely true. The Exalted One said that if time permitted, he would come to this very place!”

A flash of delight crossed Shen Gonghu’s eyes. “Given the Exalted One’s nature, he will surely be interested in the strange nature of this place.” Zhan Konglie nodded, as he stared at the plain before them. “Indeed,” he said. “As Brother Shen surely noticed, the sudden emergence of this array is rather strange.”

Before he could finish his sentence, the array on the plain erupted with a blinding light, and ripples of arcane energy spread out in all directions. Cries of alarm echoed from the mouths of those closest to the enchantment, and those most skilled in the art of enchantment stepped forward, unleashing their own seals and enchantments to speed the unraveling process.

Around the array stood a multitude of experts, mostly gathered by their families, each separate and distinct from the others. As they worked to unlock the secrets of the array, they acted with an unspoken understanding, avoiding infighting.
Upon a shattered world, crisscrossed with arcane formations, the first seal yielded to tireless unraveling. The Northern Shard, held captive for eons, released its ancient warding.

Before the assembled mages of the North, a serpentine tunnel materialized. Heedless of caution, a vanguard plunged within. The passage stretched long and labyrinthine, and after many hours, a horrifying shriek echoed through its depths – the death knell of the first explorer.

A crimson flash erupted, sweeping the tunnel and collapsing the very fabric of its existence.

Terror gripped those still within. They fled, but the crimson tide overtook them, claiming them as sacrifices. Only a handful, blessed by fate or power, survived the cataclysm.

Even as the echoes faded, the Eastern Shard succumbed. Another tunnel opened, another rush of eager souls, another gruesome end. The first to reach its terminus beheld a swirling vortex of iridescent colors, only to detonate in a crimson explosion that consumed the path behind.

The horrors did not cease. From the Southern Shard, screams arose, and death stalked the tunnels once more.

A shadow fell upon the Celestial Realm of Thunder. Yet, upon the Western Shard, where Shen Gonghu and Zhan Konglie stood vigil, a different fate unfolded. The plains shuddered as the protective runes, after untold ages, began to flicker and fade, a chaotic ballet of arcane energies.

Then, silence. A wave of displaced air buffeted the seekers as the final ward crumbled.

In the earth, a chasm opened, from which a pillar of pure, untainted Celestial energy erupted, reaching towards the heavens. Impatiently, souls plunged into the darkness, their bodies momentarily seared by the raw power. Others followed, a throng of mortals desperate for glory.

Shen Gonghu and Zhan Konglie, however, remained still, a silent question passing between them.

“Too easy…”

A few others, mages of considerable power, remained cautious. Their gazes, sharp and knowing, pierced the veil of excitement.

Time stretched on, and the stream of fortune-seekers dwindled. Then, a muffled boom reverberated from the depths, followed by a chorus of agony. The earth buckled, the tunnel imploded, and those within were extinguished.

Shen Gonghu and his companion rose into the sky, their faces etched with grim understanding.

The four cardinal shards had been breached. The seals were broken. A force, dormant since the dawn of time, surged through the Celestial Realm of Thunder.

Across the land, nine remote shards shuddered violently. Upon their surfaces, crimson runes etched themselves into the very soil, radiating a palpable aura of dread. Fear gripped the hearts of all who beheld them, a primal terror that resonated with the very soul.

One of the marked shards imploded, not from external force, but from within. An alien power, exceeding the boundaries of mortal comprehension, tore the land asunder. From the heart of the cataclysm, a spectral limb erupted – a severed arm, sealed away for an age beyond reckoning. Freed at last, it soared towards the heart of the Celestial Realm, a vengeful wraith made flesh.

As the arm vanished, seven more shards followed suit, collapsing and disgorging their grotesque burdens. Two arms, two legs, a disembodied head with a single, malevolent eye, and three fragments of a shattered torso – all hurled themselves towards the realm’s heart, driven by an ancient, unspeakable purpose.

The head, driven by ravenous hunger, devoured any mage in its path, consuming their bodies and spirits, the one remaining eye growing ever brighter with each soul claimed.

Wang Lin and Li Yuan streaked through the heavens, their faces grim. A chilling presence permeated the air, a tangible dread that emanated from the abyss.

Before Li Yuan could decipher the source of the unease, a crimson tide engulfed them – the severed arm, a harbinger of unspeakable doom.