Lord I-Mu and his retinue, witnessing this spectacle, were struck dumb with awe. Never had they conceived that Xu Mu, the unassuming mortal, harbored such a momentous secret! The man was, in truth, an Ancient God! Dispatched by the Grand Elder, I-Mu had meticulously studied the nature of the great beast Wangyue before venturing into this accursed realm. His preparations, though thorough, now felt inadequate. Yet, amidst the turmoil of his mind, he did not forsake his sacred duty. As the five-starred Ancient God emerged from Wangyue’s maw, and the beast’s jaws began to contract, I-Mu, with a desperate cry, surged forward.

He lunged towards the closing orifice, his diminished cultivation speed nonetheless propelling him like a wraith. With a final surge, he vanished within Wangyue’s gullet.

Wu Dongchan, his visage a mask of ambition and avarice, followed close behind. He had once stumbled upon forbidden tomes of the Cultivation Alliance, wherein the true nature of Wangyue was revealed. Within the beast lay a treasure of incalculable value: the essence of the moon itself, the Lunarglow! “The ancient texts foretold that he who possesses Wangyue’s Lunarglow could forge a Transcendent Artifact of the Void-Nirvana grade! If I were to claim it, then within the Alliance, I would surely supplant the treacherous Xuan Bao!”

With a guttural oath, he too plunged into Wangyue’s maw, following on I-Mu’s heels, disappearing just as the great jaws slammed shut.

Only Qing Shui remained, his brow furrowed in grim contemplation. He gazed upon Wang Lin and the colossal five-starred Ancient God, his thoughts shrouded in silence.

“Kin,” boomed the five-starred deity, his eyes shimmering with the weight of ages, “my name is Luo Chen!” With a deliberate step, he raised his right hand, not in a clenched fist, but in an open palm.

A deafening roar echoed through the void as a gargantuan hand, an echo of his own, materialized from his palm and hurtled towards Wang Lin! The young cultivator’s eyes narrowed. The technique bore a resemblance to the Seal of Rain’s Immortal Realm, yet it was fundamentally different. The colossal hand bore down upon him, followed swiftly by Luo Chen’s own gigantic appendage.

Wang Lin inhaled deeply, his four brow stars whirring into motion. He raised his right hand towards the heavens, and ancient words tumbled from his lips – the tongue of the Ancient Gods. He had long awaited this moment, the ascension to the fourth star, a herald of true divine power! A vast vortex blossomed into being around him.

“Ancient God Art… *Weapon!*” Wang Lin roared. Within the swirling vortex, veins of purple lightning danced, coalescing into a shimmering form. In an instant, a lance erupted from the void, spectral and intangible, woven from pure electrical energy.

Wang Lin seized the ethereal weapon, and with a defiant yell, swept it across his body. The strike met the descending hand in a clash of titanic power. The hand was cleaved asunder, rent in twain by the potent energy of the lance.

Yet, as the dust settled, Luo Chen’s grip tightened around Wang Lin’s weapon. With a single squeeze, the spectral lance shattered into a myriad of sparks. Ignoring the weapon’s destruction, Wang Lin strode forward. Though dwarfed by his opponent, he radiated an unyielding aura of power. He clenched his fist, and unleashed a thunderous blow.

Luo Chen, meeting Wang Lin’s gaze, felt a surge of conflicted emotions. His earlier act of twisting the Celestial Extreme into a puppet had been one of forced necessity. Though he had succeeded in freeing himself from Wangyue, he was still beset by agonizing inner struggles. At times, he could no longer distinguish himself from the ancient beast.

The countless millennia he had spent within Wangyue had eroded his very being.

The creature’s influence warped his thoughts, whispering that he was no longer worthy of the title of Ancient God, but merely a puppet of Wangyue’s will.

He had wavered and struggled regarding Wang Lin, caught between the desire to pass on his legacy and the instinct to consume. The puppet Celestial Extreme had been a reluctant gift, born of his internal strife, a sacrifice of one of his own stars.

Luo Chen drew a deep breath, mirroring Wang Lin’s action, clenching his right hand and launching his own blow.

The impact of the collision sent a jolt of pain coursing through Wang Lin’s arm, forcing him to stagger backward. Luo Chen too was forced to yield, stumbling back several steps. The stars upon his brow flickered, their light growing dimmer.

Wang Lin’s challenge to Luo Chen was born of the knowledge that his opponent, be he child or fully-fledged Ancient God, was now gravely weakened. The fading stars upon his brow testified to his frailty. Wang Lin, though but a four-starred deity, possessed stars that shone with a potent, unwavering light. Most importantly, Wang Lin was of the Royal Bloodline! Though an ordinary Ancient God might swallow Luo Chen’s star and grow stronger, the power would be useless against the Royal Bloodline’s divine techniques. The Royals were the true sovereigns among the Ancient Gods, possessing not only unique techniques, but also sacred artifacts! With a swift step, Wang Lin surged forward, unleashing a relentless barrage of blows upon Luo Chen.

The clashes of fists echoed through the void. Initially, Wang Lin struggled to withstand the onslaught, but with each passing moment, his strength grew.

The power of his four-starred essence flowed through him, sharpening his senses and honing his instincts. Each punch now unleashed a tempestuous wind, imbued with the potency of Ancient God Arts. The battle grew ever more fierce! With a final, thunderous impact, the two warriors separated. Wang Lin, retreating, raised his hand, his eyes alight with newfound strength. Ancient words poured forth, summoning a spectral image to his back: a towering phantom of a ten-thousand-foot Ancient God, unleashed a deafening roar upon Luo Chen! Luo Chen’s gaze deepened, his face etched with sadness. He raised his own hand, calling forth a spectral manifestation that dwarfed even Wang Lin’s phantom. This towering figure was not of a true Ancient God, but bloated and grotesque, more akin to Wangyue than any divine being. More alarming still, the phantom was clad in ancient, spiked armor. Its sheer presence threatened to shatter the minds of lesser beings. As the armored monstrosity howled, Wang Lin and Luo Chen closed the distance once more, a symphony of destruction erupting as both Ancient Gods and their specters clashed. With a triumphant roar, Wang Lin reached out, his mind recalling the ancient treasures of the Ancient Gods— Tuo Sen’s artifacts from within the Ancient God’s body, and Tu Si’s true Destiny Weapon, the Heavenly God Spear! As his thoughts coalesced, ancient incantations poured forth, and Wang Lin’s current four-star Ancient God Power, while unable to summon Tu Si’s true weapon, was sufficient to manifest a phantom.

As Wang Lin gripped the air, scarlet mists erupted from the void, surging and swirling until they coalesced in his palm. In the blink of an eye, a spear of a hundred zhang long materialized, pulsing with crimson light. It was the legendary God-Slaying Spear, the bane of the Ancient God race! Its mere existence twisted reality, and as it swept through the void, a web of interconnected lines materialized.

This web, a dormant seal woven throughout the void, was only revealed by the Heavenly God Spear’s might. The ancient weapon was the birthright of the Royal Bloodline! Each Royal Ancient God, upon reaching adulthood, was granted one of these timeless artifacts, passed down through generations. Only those of the Royal Bloodline could wield its power! Luo Chen stared at the God-Slaying Spear, his face haunted by remorse. He had suspected Wang Lin’s lineage to be noble, and now it was confirmed: the young warrior had received the Royal Bloodline’s heritage.

“Tu Si… even he has returned to the source…” Luo Chen sighed, his sadness replaced by a serene acceptance.

“Tu Si’s blood kin, let me see just how much of the God-Slaying Spear’s potential you can unlock!” Luo Chen laughed, as if a burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He reached out, and the bones of his right arm writhed beneath his flesh.

Spikes of bone erupted from his skin, and in an instant, his entire right arm had transformed into a grotesque, serrated weapon, a hundred zhang of jagged points all converging into a terrifying killing weapon! Wang Lin clutched the spectral God-Slaying Spear, his spirit soaring. The sensation of embodying Tu Si surged through him. Before his eyes, only Luo Chen existed! “I am Wang Lin, of the Ancient God Royal Lineage!” With a single step, he unleashed the Heavenly God Spear. The surrounding void tore, revealing the web of the hidden seal.

The web was an illusion, but the seal was woven into the very fabric of reality.

Luo Chen laughed, closing the distance once more, wielding his bone-weapon against Wang Lin’s spear.

The clash of weapons echoed through the void. As the two warriors traded blows, the very fabric of reality revealed its secrets in the chaos.

Wang Lin’s eyes blazed with battle lust. During a brief respite from the melee, he raised his hands, forming a diamond shape with his fingers, chanting a forgotten incantation: “God-Slaying Seal!”

The ancient technique, unique to the Royal Bloodline, would now be unleashed! As the God-Slaying Spear hurtled towards Luo Chen, Wang Lin formed the God-Slaying Seal, sending a colossal diamond shape hurtling forward.

Luo Chen roared with laughter, “Excellent!” He parried the spear, as the seal closed the distance, creating an unimaginable storm.

The tempest raged, spreading through the void. As the web was stripped from the seal, two ethereal lights appeared.

The lights glowed with cold detachment, piercing the web, viewing the scene from another dimension.

“Wangyue… Ancient God…”