Even the venerable Three Dust Sages stirred, their eyes parting as they drew the ambient celestial energy deep into their lungs. A wisp of concern etched itself upon the brow of Elder Dust-One, who rose and bowed slightly, “Esteemed Wang, I must voice my apprehension. Though my mastery of enchantments is but a fraction of yours, I perceive a veiled lethality beneath this placid facade. To breach this barrier by force would demand our united might for even a sliver of success.”

“Unnecessary,” Wang Lin dismissed with a wave. His commands were gospel to the silver-clad maiden. Without a flicker of hesitation, she shifted, a silver blur, and stepped within the hundred-pace perimeter.

The instant her right foot touched the ground, a piercing light ignited in Wang Lin’s eyes, his gaze unwavering. She did not falter, but strode forward, each step deliberate, until she had completed nine paces.

As her tenth foot descended, the very air within the hundred paces shimmered. Ripples materialized from the ether, spreading outwards, accompanied by a gathering mist that swirled towards the maiden.

To the observers beyond, the space before them twisted, as if some unseen force sought to rend reality itself.

Wang Lin’s eyes flickered, his mind a whirlwind of calculations, his voice calm, “A mystical strike to the left, targeting the Qian position! Then, retreat.”

Without question, the maiden’s hand blazed with light, solidifying into an arcane sigil that crashed against the designated spot. A thunderous boom echoed, and the hundred paces were swept by a phantom gale. The mist dispersed, the ripples subsided.

With practiced grace, she retreated beyond the perimeter, unscathed.

Elder Floating-Wind gaped, his eyes suddenly alight with keen interest.

The Three Dust Sages were similarly stunned, their gazes upon Wang Lin taking on a new, curious quality.

Before they could fully digest the sight, Wang Lin moved. He touched the ground lightly with his right foot, then leapt, landing precisely upon the tenth step the maiden had taken.

“As I suspected! The enchantment within these hundred paces differs vastly from the exterior. Here, near the river, the permutations are myriad, yet ultimately resolve into two states: earth and water.”

His eyes burned with arcane insight as he sifted through the intricate layers. Each individual enchantment flickered through his mind, assembling into a holographic vision of the barrier.

Wang Lin’s mastery of enchantments traced back to the ancient God-Lands, refined over a millennium of cultivation. Within the Starfield of Luo Tian, he had inherited the Destruction Enchantment, bringing it to its zenith.

Though powerful, this enchantment was but a puzzle to Wang Lin, who had long since surpassed his former self. His skill with enchantments, while perhaps not on par with his raw power, had grown exponentially. He knew from long experience that his innate talent for spiritual energy was lacking, but his grasp of enchantments was profound.

He had sensed this long ago, in the God-Lands.

Through trials, Wang Lin had come to understand that talent in cultivation was defined by sensitivity to spiritual energy. The more acute the sensitivity, the greater the talent.

Enchantments, however, were detached from this sensitivity. Their domain was calculation, deduction, the sheer power of the mind.

In this arena, Wang Lin was not lacking, but exceptional. Had he been otherwise, he would never have traversed the treacherous path of cultivation for over a thousand years.

Standing on the tenth step, gazing into the shifting barrier, the light of enchantments in his eyes became a tempest in his soul, transforming the world before him.

What appeared to be a serene expanse of a hundred paces was, in Wang Lin’s eyes, a complex web of thirty-nine thousand, seven hundred and fourteen individual enchantments! They were not independent, but interwoven, a single, unified entity, where the disturbance of one echoed throughout the whole.

Had Wang Lin not yet mastered the Destruction Enchantment, he would have been stymied. He would have been forced to sit and meditate, expending vast quantities of time to unravel each of those thousands of individual enchantments.

But Wang Lin had surpassed that stage. He had inherited the Destruction Enchantment, and within the Starfield of Luo Tian, he had unlocked the Mind-Enchantment, the pinnacle of the Destruction technique.

Within his mind, the secrets of the universe lay bare. The forbidden places of the heavens and earth were contained within his very soul, and the movements of his mind birthed endless variations of enchantments!

His calculations complete, Wang Lin raised his foot and stepped forward, traversing ten more paces.

Instantly, the enchantments within the hundred paces were triggered. It was as if a stone had been cast into a still lake, creating ripples that spread outwards. A celestial power, so potent that even Elder Floating-Wind was moved, erupted forth.

“The art of Celestial Enchantments, truly ingenious! I wonder, though, how the Celestial Abodes of Sky-Fate and Spirit-Heaven are to be breached!” Wang Lin’s eyes flashed, his steps unwavering.

The hundred paces were consumed by a swirling vortex of sand, transforming into a desolate wasteland. The wind howled like a tormented beast, a black dust-devil forming and hurtling towards Wang Lin.

Those without were blind to the spectacle, but the great cultivators, such as Elder Floating-Wind, needed not to see. With a sweep of their divine sense, they felt the astonishing transformations and the crushing force unleashed within the hundred paces.

Wang Lin’s expression remained unchanged. As the black dust-devil threatened to engulf him, he raised his hand, forming a hand seal. An enchantment sigil materialized, flashing, and the black whirlwind shattered with a deafening roar. Yet the sheer scale of the tempest dwarfed Wang Lin.

Though it collapsed, the collapse was not enough to impede the storm’s onslaught. However, the point of collapse was below, before Wang Lin.

Thus, with each successive disintegration, Wang Lin walked through the heart of the dust-devil, emerging unscathed on the other side.

This simple enchantment sigil was the result of countless deductions, the product of painstaking calculation. Time, position, location, and the magnitude of the enchantment’s power – the slightest deviation would have prevented the localized collapse necessary for him to pass through the storm.

Though it seemed simple, its execution was beyond the reach of most.
Fufengzi’s eyes blazed with a sudden, fierce light, fixed immovably upon Wang Lin. He gasped, a tremor of disbelief rippling through his features. It defied all reason; Wang Lin, whom he’d deemed incapable of such mastery, possessed an astonishing command over the arcane weave of the seals!

“His composure is no mere façade, but a genuine stillness,” Fufengzi whispered, more to himself than anyone else. “For he has foreseen every shift and snare within this intricate barrier. He seeks not to brute-force his way through, but to dismantle it with its own power, seal against seal!”

The Three Sons of the Dust Path mirrored Fufengzi’s awe, their gazes darting between each other, a newfound respect blooming in their hearts for the enigmatic Wang Lin.

Having pierced the heart of the dust storm, Wang Lin quickened his pace, a sudden surge of speed carrying him to the ninetieth step, a mere ten strides from the ancient stone bridge.

In that very instant, the dust storm vanished, replaced by a thick mist that shimmered with the promise of water. The roar of crashing waves filled the air, and before Wang Lin’s eyes, the remaining span of the path transformed into a raging ocean, monstrous waves rising to crash down upon him with relentless fury.

Wang Lin’s eyes gleamed with anticipation. This was the moment he had awaited! As the illusory waves reached their zenith, he struck his storage pouch, producing a vital artifact.

It was the Compass of Lost Seals, a treasure indispensable to any heir of the Shattering Lineage!

Holding the compass aloft, Wang Lin stood firm, his robes whipped by the tempestuous winds, his long hair streaming behind him like a silver banner. He appeared as a celestial being battling the elements. His left hand moved in a blur across the compass face, a series of clicks and whirs emanating as the device began to spin.

His left hand became a mere flicker, a whirlwind of motion as his eyes tracked the raging waters, his feet never faltering. He stepped to the left, crossing the span of an arm’s length in one fluid motion, as if diving into the heart of the churning sea.

Just as the illusory waves threatened to engulf him, Wang Lin’s eyes flashed with a chilling light. He hurled the compass forward, and with a swift sequence of hand seals, unleashed a torrent of protective sigils.

“Break!” Wang Lin roared, his voice echoing across the transformed landscape. The flying compass pulsed with a sudden, abyssal darkness, the surrounding sigils amplifying its power into a thunderous shockwave that spread outwards.

In a heartbeat, the ocean collapsed, the raging waves shattering like a painted scroll torn asunder. The illusion vanished, leaving only the bare path beneath Wang Lin’s feet.

As the sea dissipated, a piercing shriek echoed from the depths of the Immortal’s dwelling, an ear-splitting sound that reverberated through the entire structure.

“So, there *is* a manipulator behind these seals!” Wang Lin’s eyes burned with cold understanding. From the moment he had first set eyes upon the barrier, something had felt amiss. The outer seals were inert, lifeless, shifting according to pre-determined patterns.

But the inner one hundred steps were different. Their transitions hinted at a guiding hand, a presence subtly altering the flow of power. To confirm his suspicions, he had used the Silver-Clad Corpse to test the 80th step. With the last ten steps, coupled with the changes in the seals, Wang Lin could say with certainty that he was correct.

Now, without hesitation, he strode forward, compass in hand, and stepped onto the stone bridge. His gaze focused on the heart of the Immortal’s domain, his expression calm, his resolve unwavering.

An Immortal’s dwelling was never so simple. This he understood well.

“I wonder, what lurks within the heart of this dwelling, manipulating the seals to bar outsiders?”

Behind him, Fufengzi, his face etched with respect, hastened forward with the Three Sons of the Dust Path and the large-headed man in tow.

Wang Lin stood on the bridge, scrutinizing the scene before him. The Immortal’s dwelling resembled a meticulously crafted garden, bursting with vibrant blooms. Even within the controlled environment of the domain, the sheer riot of colors was disorienting.

Four exquisitely carved pavilions were scattered throughout the garden, surrounding a colossal palace. Its surface was adorned with dragons, phoenixes, and other celestial beasts unseen by Wang Lin, giving the building an aura of divine authority.

Before the palace stood ten golden statues, clad in full armor, appearing as immortal warriors.

“Celestial Gold!” Wang Lin’s eyes narrowed. The statues were crafted entirely from Celestial Gold, the very material described in the ancient jade scrolls of Emperor Qinglin, a key component in strengthening the bodies of immortal guards. A palpable aura of power emanated from the depths of the dark palace, permeating the surrounding air.