With each crisis overcome, the white-haired elder would crumble into a statue, only to shatter forth anew, his visage remarkably younger than before.

From a wizened ancient, he transformed into a man in his prime, and now, a mere youth. This bizarre spectacle chilled the surrounding cultivators to their very marrow.

Wang Lin’s borrowed flesh bore a grim expression as he fixed his gaze upon the emerging youth. The newcomer, upon his arrival, placed a hand upon the shattered remnants of the statue. Instantly, these fragments melted and coalesced, reforming into the long spear he now grasped in his hand.

The youth’s lips curled into a sinister smile as he regarded Wang Lin. With a swiftness that defied the eye, he melded with the very fabric of existence, vanishing without a trace.

In the following breath, he materialized behind a nascent Void Shattering cultivator. The latter’s face contorted in alarm as he attempted to phase into another dimension, but it was in vain.

Not only him, but every cultivator within range hastily scattered.

The youth’s grin widened, more sinister than before. He thrust his spear into the void, creating ripples in reality. From this distorted space, the Void Shattering cultivator was wrenched forth, his face ashen. Before he could flee, his form froze, and with a sickening burst, he was reduced to a spray of blood and gore. Even his nascent soul was devoured by the youth, swallowed whole in a gruesome display.

Flesh, bone, blood, and spirit… nothing remained.

This occurred in the blink of an eye. The youth shifted again, his movements impossibly erratic as he weaved through the assembled cultivators. Each appearance was marked by another’s demise.

The ancient spirit within Wang Lin’s borrowed form scoffed. He surged forward like a bolt of lightning, his right hand forming a mystic seal. Pointing towards the heavens, he thundered, “凝!” (Condense!)

Immediately, violet light materialized from the ether, swiftly gathering upon Wang Lin’s outstretched hand. In moments, a pulsating orb of violet energy materialized, its interior shimmering with raw power and swirling with ethereal mist.

“散!” (Disperse!) A raspy command echoed from Wang Lin’s lips. The orb shuddered, then exploded outwards in a ring of destructive force, washing over the land like a raging tide.

This wave contained the very essence of heaven and earth. As it spread, every cultivator within its reach, regardless of their cultivation level, felt an immense force slamming into them. The power was overwhelming, causing them to be flung backwards at breakneck speeds.

Even Shen Gonghu and Zhan Konglie were not immune to its effects.

Almost instantly, a void of ten leagues in all directions was cleared, leaving only Wang Lin and the youth standing alone.

The youth licked his lips, his complexion slightly flushed. Though brief, he had consumed no fewer than twenty cultivators. His eyes gleaming, he ignored Wang Lin and lunged towards the scattered survivors.

Wang Lin distinctly heard the ancient spirit within him curse. He gave chase, roaring, “For shame, Immortal Lord Clear Stream! To stoop to devouring the younger generation to restore your power? If you truly possess any honor, face me in battle! Spare yourself this ignominy!”

The youth faltered, turning with a murderous glint in his eyes. Slowly, he spoke, “I am… not Clear Stream.”

“Lies! You are Clear Stream! Clear Stream! Clear Stream!” The ancient voice within Wang Lin’s husk continued to proclaim.

The youth’s rage intensified. He snarled and whirled, once again charging towards the fleeing cultivators.

“The former Crown Prince of Clear Stream, who has forgotten even his own name… how pathetic!” The ancient spirit within Wang Lin lamented. But the youth remained unfazed, vanishing to continue his gruesome feast.

Wang Lin could feel the spirit’s frustration grow. He stepped through the void, appearing beside a Core Formation cultivator.

“You would devour them? Then I shall disperse them!” Wang Lin’s borrowed form roared. As the targeted cultivator’s eyes widened in terror, he kicked the man with all his might.

An immense force erupted from the blow, sending the cultivator flying and merging with the very fabric of space, disappearing from sight.

Without pause, Wang Lin vanished, appearing beside another cultivator and delivering another mighty kick.

And so, Wang Lin and the youth abandoned direct combat, instead engaging in a race of speed: one to scatter, the other to devour.

As Shen Gonghu fled, he attempted to shift through dimensions, but his attempt was thwarted. He was ripped from the void, and the sinister youth materialized beside him, his hand reaching for his skull.

Shen Gonghu’s face hardened. A man of arrogance, he formed a series of hand seals, and a bolt of lightning appeared within his palm.

The lightning was dark red in hue. Its mere presence caused ripples in the surrounding space, as if countless minute lightning strands were converging upon it from all directions.

This lightning was unique to Shen Gonghu, the culmination of his cultivation. After receiving enlightenment from Wang Lin, he had dedicated himself to tracing the source of lightning, refining it within his body.

After many years, only this single bolt had been formed. It was still incomplete, and Shen Gonghu had refrained from using it in previous battles.

This lightning was his greatest secret. Indeed, it was this very lightning that deepened his respect for Wang Lin, for he believed that Wang Lin’s guidance on lightning was supremely correct. He was confident that, with continued refinement, he would eventually trace the origin of lightning itself.

But now, facing a crisis of life and death, he had no choice but to unleash this power.

Even the sinister youth paused upon seeing the lightning, uttering a soft sound of surprise. Yet, the icy, sinister gleam in his eyes remained undimmed, and his hand continued to descend.
Shen Gonghu roared, unleashing a thunderous blast from his hand. The lightning, once released, pulsed with a dark crimson light, detonating in a blinding flash. The youth merely scoffed, crushing the energy with a clench of his fist, extinguishing the chaotic force.

Seizing the moment, Shen Gonghu retreated with desperate haste. In the distance, Wang Lin’s eyes fell upon his ally. Though his body remained beyond his control, his spirit could still commune with the ancient sage within.

“Save him!” Wang Lin’s spirit cried out.

The elder’s spirit grunted in acknowledgement. He kicked aside a nearby cultivator and dissolved into the void. In a blink, he stood before Shen Gonghu, weaving arcane gestures with his hand, and clashing with the oncoming aura of the sinister youth.

A deafening boom echoed through the shattered realm as the dark youth stumbled back several paces. Wang Lin, likewise, was forced back, but in retreat, his foot lashed out at Shen Gonghu. Amidst Shen Gonghu’s fervent cheers, his body was hurled away, vanishing into the very fabric of existence.

The youth glared coldly at Wang Lin. With a flicker, multiple apparitions split from his form. These phantoms further divided, until the thirty-two specters, previously annihilated in the fierce battle, reappeared.

The duplicates spread, rushing away with unnatural speed, hunting down the fleeing cultivators.

Wang Lin felt the ancient spirit within him falter. With a furious roar, the sage seized control of Wang Lin’s body, soaring upwards, his arms outstretched. A surge of potent essence erupted from within, flowing into the heavens, rapidly permeating the world.

In that instant, Wang Lin *became* the world. His eyes blazed with an unearthly light as he murmured, “Celestial Art: Dissipation!”

Suddenly, a force encompassed all fleeing mortals, binding them together.

“Celestial Art: Dispersion!” The words echoed forth once more.

In an instant, every cultivator was wrenched from their own control, violently merging with the cosmos as if the unseen hand of fate manipulated their being.

From above, a grim spectacle unfolded as the figures of the cultivators rapidly faded. Quickly, none remained save for the sinister youth and his thirty-two spectral forms.

Wang Lin felt the ancient sage’s spirit dwindle within him, flickering as a candle nearing its end.

“Bah! I am undone!” The youth, eyes now burning red, strode towards Wang Lin. “Since you seek death, I shall grant it to you!” The youth tossed his spear forward, the weapon transforming into a bolt of black light streaking toward Wang Lin.

Wang Lin’s blood ran cold. The ancient spirit within him barely maintained control, allowing him to flee.

The sinister youth pursued relentlessly. The sage, bound to Wang Lin’s form, merged with the universe, vanishing with each flicker.

Yet, the youth, too, commanded the power to weave through existence, following the unseen path.

They sped across countless fragments of worlds, until a cold smile spread across the youth’s face. “From the moment you appeared, I knew your goal. You would lure me to your true form. Very well. I shall come, devour your essence, and surpass the power of all these mortal cultivators. My strength shall be restored!”