A crimson haze descended, obscuring the world as a bloodthirsty glint ignited in the ancient one’s eyes. Twin crimson beams erupted, engulfing him in a malevolent aura. Clutching a weathered jade slip, he devoured it whole, his gaze locking onto the figure of Yan Leizi with a visage twisted in monstrous fury.

Yan Leizi felt a chill creep into his bones. With a swift gesture, his right hand struck his chest, unleashing forty-nine crystalline shards that scattered before him. In that instant, the ancient one, known only as Qingshui, unleashed a primordial roar, a sound of earth-shattering power that reverberated through the heavens themselves.

It was as if the very sky had cracked. The air before Qingshui shattered, vast fissures appearing, the fabric of reality tearing and recoiling towards Yan Leizi, hungry and enraged.

From the rent in existence, an endless, howling wind poured forth, a tempest of celestial wrath that slammed into Yan Leizi.

The elder’s face darkened. With a snort of contempt, the forty-nine shards before him began to spin, generating a vortex of immense suction. The fractured space, the howling winds, all were consumed, drawn into the swirling chaos of the crystalline tempest.

Yan Leizi bellowed, “Qingshui! Showing you the jade slip was meant to rekindle forgotten memories, to ease your pain, not to inflict harm!”

Wang Lin, a distant observer, recoiled in horror. He retreated with desperate haste, weaving arcane signs with trembling hands, barely escaping the encroaching madness. His face pale, he watched the unfolding spectacle with grim dread.

“I will destroy you!” Qingshui roared, a crimson blur launched across the battlefield. He ripped a hole in the void, appearing behind Yan Leizi in an instant, eyes burning like coals. With a guttural cry, he lunged, his claws outstretched to rend the elder asunder.

The forty-nine shards materialized behind Yan Leizi, interposing themselves between the ancient one and his prey. A deafening blast ripped through the air. Even with his immense power, Qingshui was hurled back a hundred paces, his eyes now pools of pure, unadulterated madness. He charged once more, a creature consumed by an otherworldly rage.

Yan Leizi frowned, taken aback by the unforeseen consequence of sharing the jade slip. The ancient one’s current state filled him with dread.

“Could it be that he is now as he was in those dark days, consumed by a demonic possession?” Yan Leizi muttered, his frustration growing. As Qingshui attacked again, he wove intricate hand seals, and the forty-nine shards pulsed with golden light, scattering outwards.

The radiant streams intertwined, forming an elaborate array.

“Celestial Formation: Transmutation!” Yan Leizi chanted, his voice echoing with power. The golden array rose from the shards, a spectral web that enveloped the charging Qingshui.

The ancient one roared, his body caught and held by the celestial prison. In that moment, Yan Leizi’s eyes flashed. “Thorn of Immortal Slaying!”

The golden array spun with blinding speed, and from the swirling light, countless golden spines emerged. They plunged into Qingshui’s body, each bearing a touch of annihilating energy, potent enough to be felt even at Wang Lin’s distant vantage point.

With each piercing strike, the狰狞 on Qingshui’s face intensified.

“I had forgotten the sins of the past, yet you have forced them upon me!” A flicker of sorrow appeared in the depths of Qingshui’s crimson gaze, a grief so profound that it seemed to carry the weight of millennia.

“Invoke the Wind!” Qingshui raised his right hand, pointing towards the heavens.

Before Wang Lin’s astonished eyes, a black wind howled into existence, swirling around Qingshui’s form, forming a tempestuous vortex that tore at the very fabric of his prison.

The golden array shattered, the black wind coalescing into eight serpentine dragons, their bodies ethereal, their jaws agape, spewing gusts of icy wind towards Yan Leizi.

The chilling blasts swept across the battlefield, extinguishing all light and sound, threatening to obliterate everything in their path.

Yan Leizi’s face was now a mask of grim determination. He retreated, summoning the shards of power to his defense. “Celestial Formation: Gather the Essence!” He bellowed. Countless streams of energy poured from the forty-nine shards, converging to form forty-nine radiant lances that hurtled towards the onrushing gale.

Explosions thundered across the desolate landscape. Wang Lin retreated further, blood trickling from his orifices. Each earth-shattering boom rattled his soul, but his gaze remained fixated, unblinking.

“Invoke the Wind! This… this is the true power of Invoke the Wind!”

After the echoes of forty-nine explosions faded, Yan Leizi staggered back, pale. Manipulating the formation was a burden, even for him. Facing Qingshui would not have been so arduous, had it not been for the ancient one’s overwhelming power. “This is no ordinary Celestial Art!” He exclaimed. Yan Leizi had never witnessed Wang Lin unleash this ability before. He was truly caught off guard.

“When the Realm of Thunder crumbled, legend spoke of the Immortal Emperor Bai Fan’s mysterious demise. As Bai’s disciple, do you not seek to uncover the truth, to avenge your master?” Yan Leizi pleaded, his brow furrowed. He was reluctant to engage Qingshui, as such a conflict would jeopardize his plans.

A flicker of killing intent crossed Qingshui’s face. He surged forward, weaving a new set of hand seals before striking his chest. Then, pointing towards the sky, he cried, “Invoke the Rain!”

The world transformed, the air within a thousand yards filling with droplets of crystalline water, each the color of fresh blood.

The scarlet rain bathed the land, reflecting a bloody luminescence. Qingshui weaved more signs, shouting, “Invoke the Rain, Ice Seal!”

A series of crackling sounds filled the air. In an instant, the droplets transformed into shards of ice that rapidly expanded outwards, linking together to form a crystalline cage that relentlessly bore down upon Yan Leizi.

“In your days as Immortal Lord, you underwent a profound transformation, succumbing to madness and unleashing boundless slaughter. Does the truth behind these events not haunt you?”

Yan Leizi shouted over the encroaching ice. The forty-nine shards spun around him, forming a vortex of radiant energy. They magnified in size, becoming shields that sought to push back the advancing glacier. “I have unearthed ancient texts detailing similar transformations within the other three Immortal Realms, occurring at the same time you were consumed! The answers may lie within the Alliance of Cultivators of the Realm of Rain. Should answers fail to surface there, I vow to aid you in your quest across the Realms of Wind and Lightning, in search of the truth!”

Yan Leizi’s defensive array whirled faster, attempting to resist the encroaching ice crystals.

“I do not fear you, Qingshui. I merely wish to avoid conflict. Were it not for my subtle interference, you would never have broken free from your prison! Do not force my hand!”

Qingshui’s rage subsided, replaced by a chilling stare. With a voice devoid of emotion, he asked, “Give me a reason to spare you.”