Wang Lin, swift as a shooting star, hurtled towards the shimmering lights ahead, bypassing countless wards and arcane defenses. Guided by the jade scroll map, he raced toward the heart of the cave dwelling’s first level, a region shrouded in swirling black mist.

Behind him, the man in black, his pace relentless, kept stride for stride with Wang Lin. His eyes, like chips of obsidian, burned into Wang Lin’s back, mirroring his every movement.

Trailing them both was the village maiden, a woman of considerable power. After a brief calculation, she made a decision. Seeing the urgency with which Wang Lin and the black-clad figure fled, she gritted her teeth and gave chase. Though she possessed knowledge of the wards, it was not as comprehensive as Wang Lin’s, and her position at the rear caused her to stumble against the magical impediments.

The furious roars echoing from behind grew louder with each passing moment, punctuated by the cracking and booming sounds of shattered enchantments. Wang Lin pressed on, his speed increasing. Reaching a pavilion, he leaped from the ground before its entrance, ascending into the air as the pavilion’s protective aura flared, threatening to impede his passage.

With a flicker of his eyes, Wang Lin executed seven precise steps in mid-air at an impossible angle. These seven steps carried him directly into the heart of the pavilion’s enchantments, and in a blur, he passed through, emerging unscathed on the other side. The black-clad man, hot on his heels, followed the same path, stepping precisely where Wang Lin had tread, and mirrored his success.

The village maiden, upon reaching the pavilion, could only watch as Wang Lin and the black-clad man disappeared into the distance. The ward before her was far too intricate to be dispelled in short order.

At that moment, a deafening roar echoed from behind, shattering the silence. The enchantments in her wake exploded in a cacophony of displaced energies, and a crimson figure emerged from the destruction.

The village maiden gasped. The humanoid creature she beheld was unlike anything she had ever seen, and a wave of primal terror washed over her.

The creature’s eyes, cold and furious, locked onto the village maiden. With a savage snarl, it lunged toward her, its clawed hand raised in a sweeping attack. But in that instant, a voice boomed, low and commanding.

“Vile beast, how dare you!”

As the words reverberated through the air, a ripple of energy materialized before the village maiden, expanding outwards in a shockwave. She was thrown backwards by the force, and the humanoid creature staggered, struck by the unseen impact.

A figure clad in azure robes appeared, striding from the distance. An old man, his face etched with the passage of ages, yet his eyes shone with an inner fire, a spark of profound power – it was Xukongzi!

Xukongzi, himself shaken, had emerged from the shattered remnants of the Burial Immortal Pool. He had wandered the first layer of the Immortal Emperor’s cave dwelling, collecting numerous treasures, when the creature’s roar sent shivers down his spine. He had followed the sound, arriving just in time to witness the village maiden’s perilous situation.

He held some affiliation with the village maiden’s sect and could not allow her to perish. He conjured a spell to briefly impede the beast before arriving at her side and dragging her into the pavilion’s magical barrier using her strong cultivation base.

The pavilion shimmered with an intensity that could shatter stone, but the enchantments buckled and shattered under Xukongzi’s forceful entry. Xukongzi, with the village maiden in tow, continued onward. The humanoid creature, its eyes locked onto Xukongzi, roared in defiance and gave chase.

Meanwhile, Wang Lin hurtled onward, weaving effortlessly through the ancient enchantments, not triggering a single one as he skirted them. Soon, he approached the heart of the first level, the region dominated by the swirling black mist.

The mist was undeniably malevolent. Wang Lin detected a tangible aura of demonic energy emanating from within. But with the enraged roars echoing ever closer, Wang Lin could not afford to hesitate. Without a second thought, he plunged into the darkness. The black-clad man, his pupils constricting, followed him into the abyss.

“The demonic energy here is potent. Be wary, friend Wang,” the man in black spoke, keeping a precise distance from Wang Lin. “Furthermore, perhaps you could explain what creature it is that hunts us?”

“A beast from the Burial Immortal Pool!” Wang Lin swiftly replied, surging forward. Having breached the black mist, he headed towards the imposing palace shrouded within.

The palace dwarfed all other structures, radiating an oppressive aura. It loomed in the mist, shrouded in an eerie gloom, like a monstrous beast slumbering, its cold gaze fixed upon the minuscule mortals beneath.

Standing at the base of the palace, looking upwards, its size was nearly incomprehensible. The palace doors were cracked open just enough, allowing a dozen people to enter side-by-side. Wang Lin, quick as lightning, darted inside, entering the first level’s main hall! But as he stepped through the entrance, he froze.

Within the hall stood two colossal statues, their hands locked in mystical gestures, their eyes blazing with fury. From each statue emanated a palpable aura of supreme power, a sense of cosmic dominance that sent shivers down the spine of any who beheld them. Wang Lin paused momentarily and shook it off. His past experience with similar structures helped him to recover with surprising speed.

He quickly scanned the massive hall for the passage to the second level, but none could be found.

At that moment, the black-clad man entered the hall. Upon beholding the statues, he staggered. The mark of the Black Dragon blazed to life upon his brow.

Wang Lin’s eyes widened, then quickly returned to normal, hiding his shock.

The black-clad man quickly regained his composure, but his expression soured. He glanced at Wang Lin, then his brow furrowed to find the other had not glanced at him.

He knew he revealed his mark, and was not sure if Wang Lin noticed.

Suddenly, a cacophony of crashing and shattering echoed from beyond the hall. Xukongzi, with the village maiden in tow, burst into the palace.

Even he was briefly staggered by the statues’ presence, but he recovered swiftly enough to hide it.

The village maiden, however, appeared dazed, before quickly regaining her focus with the elder’s assistance.

Xukongzi saw Wang Lin and his eyes flashed with murder. But the roars outside were coming closer.

The village maiden paled. “Wang Lin, what have you drawn here? That beast is coming for you!”

The village maiden was past being polite, and no longer called him “friend.”

Wang Lin already searched the hall for the entrance to the second level, but to no avail. Now he focused his eyes on the statues as he considered his options. After hearing the maiden, he calmly retreated towards a statue. “How do you know I attracted this thing?” He made the movements of someone expecting to defend himself.

“If it weren’t for you, why did you flee here the moment you heard it?” the village maiden spat.

“I fought it in the pond! I ran for my life! What do you expect me to do, embrace death?!” Wang Lin said, continuing to move to the statue. His right hand moved to his storage bag, and he locked his eyes on Xukongzi. The power of Xukongzi was tremendous!

Even at the peak of Nihility Expanse, Wang Lin was no match for the shattered nihility master!

The maiden scoffed, but the Xukongzi interrupted her and walked forward. “Enough chatter. Out there, NOW!”

As Xukongzi spoke, a ripple passed between him and Wang Lin. It wasn’t just a ripple, but a wave of shattered nihility energy aimed at the other’s heart.

In an instant, Wang Lin’s right eye flashed blue, and his Blue Essence Shield flared to life. A shattering BOOM filled the hall.

The shield broke immediately and crushed against Wang Lin’s chest, bones cracking and blood flowing as Wang Lin was thrown back.

A ripple of energy followed the shield, tearing through Wang Lin’s body as it went. Bone and flesh was shattered.

It happened so fast, the maiden could only stare. The man in black’s pupils shrunk to nothing.

As Wang Lin sailed through the air, Xukongzi made a quiet noise. This wasn’t even his full power!

Originally, he intended to break the body of the Saint Emperor with a single blow.