The collapse of the upper palace was like a tempest abruptly silenced, unleashing a wave of crushing power that resonated outwards with a deafening roar. From the ruins, a figure arose – a middle-aged warrior, once hailed as the foremost among the Four Immortal Realms, the peerless Immortal Emperor, Azurefrost.

Yet, this was not the Azurefrost of legend. His eyes blazed with infernal fire, and a suit of ebony armor encased his form. The armor, like overlapping scales, covered him head to toe. Behind him, a cloak of living darkness billowed, animated by some unseen force. At the ragged edges of the cloak, phantasmal visages of ancient demons flickered into existence.

Beneath the dense armor, his face remained hidden, save for the crimson gleam emanating from his eyes. As the palace crumbled around him, he took a single, decisive step.

Outside, the colossal sea summoned by Wang Wei’s astonishing power still surged across the heavens. The sudden destruction of the palace had prevented Wang Wei from dispelling his magic. The tempestuous waves crashed down, engulfing the shattered remains of the palace.

In an instant, the world was consumed by a blinding spray, saturated with a palpable surge of immortal energy that made hearts tremble. With this single invocation, Wang Wei had proven himself among the most formidable of the age, submerging the very sky under a deluge.

Wang Lin inhaled sharply. Wang Wei’s strength, he realized, seemed comparable to that of Purewater, albeit without considering Purewater’s profound connection to the very boundaries of existence.

However, as the roaring ocean rushed forward, the armored warrior within the collapsing palace strode forth into the air.

“Child’s play!” With a chilling, bloodthirsty sneer, the warrior raised his right hand and made a casual sweep towards the sky. Immediately, a cloud of black miasma erupted from his palm, swiftly obscuring the heavens and smothering the oncoming sea. Wang Wei’s tidal wave shattered, dissolving into a torrential rain that lashed against the land. Before this warrior, such magic seemed no more than a simple trick.

“Master, your disciple arrives late!” Wang Wei’s face paled. He retreated several dozen paces, drawing near to Zhou Yi, who stood further back. Gazing at the armored figure in the sky, anguish filled his eyes, yet he quickly suppressed it with a determined expression. He knew the danger here. Zhou Yi was still recovering from injuring the Emptiness Child and feared for his safety. Wang Wei flicked his wrist, and Zhou Yi, understanding his intent, glanced towards Wang Lin in the distance, then transformed into a shard of light and vanished into Wang Wei’s storage sack.

Behind Wang Wei’s shattered tide, the Celestial Finger of Sky Fate, capable of piercing the heavens and formed of boundless celestial energy, descended slowly, yet with unstoppable speed.

The heavens reverberated with thunder as the finger cleaved the sky itself. Even the encompassing darkness was pierced, and the Celestial Finger hurtled directly towards the warrior below.

A piercing shriek echoed, yet before the finger could strike, the armored warrior casually seized it with his right hand. With a shattering sound, the Celestial Finger splintered from its core!

A force far surpassing the Celestial Finger had enveloped it, snapping it in two and shattering its very structure.

The deafening roar shook the land. The Celestial Finger, which had once chilled Wang Lin to the bone, crumbled and dissipated in an instant.

All of this transpired in a heartbeat, almost as soon as the warrior stepped forward, negating the combined powers of Wang Wei and Sky Fate.

Without pause, the armored warrior took yet another step, his speed now immeasurable. In a flash, he stood before the Ancient Fiend, Bello. His left eye, with its eight points of light, flickered, and his right hand swept towards the multitude of illusory figures conjured by Bello’s twenty-odd banners.

The boundless black miasma that swirled in the sky instantly contracted, forming a sphere around the warrior and Bello. Everything happened with such speed that only then did the others have time to respond. All they saw was a thick, encompassing darkness.

Deafening booms echoed within the miasma, which churned violently. Bello’s enraged roar reverberated from within, “Taga, even if you possess Azurefrost’s body, you cannot fully integrate without time! You can never fully assimilate the soul of Azurefrost and exert his former power!”

“What matters it? It is enough to slay the likes of you!” The voice, raspy and sinister, echoed amidst the swirling magic. It sounded as if bones grinding together, sending a chill through the hearts of all who heard it.

Sky Fate’s eyes glimmered with an uncanny light. In a flash, he too plunged into the darkness. The sounds of combat intensified, a cacophony of ancient spells colliding. Wang Wei, gritting his teeth, followed, stepping into the black miasma.

All three powerhouses had now entered the fray. A furious exchange of blows, and the ebb and flow of immortal and demonic energies, spilled outwards.

The Emptiness Child stared intently at the darkness, the black-clad figure beside him doing the same. The gourd-carrying old man hesitated briefly, then remained at the edge of the miasma.

As for Ling Tianhou, he watched the darkness, his face a mask of dark contemplation.

Without a second thought, Wang Lin retreated. Though he did not fully understand the events unfolding before him, the armored warrior, the ruined palace – they mirrored his visions within the Bottle Realm during his Soul Guidance. It was clear: the one who had bestowed the yellow crystal upon him was this very armored warrior.

Wang Wei’s earlier cry of “Master” confirmed Wang Lin’s suspicions. This was none other than Azurefrost, the strongest in the Immortal Realms! “Coupling this with the information I’ve gleaned, the full scope of the events comes to light!”

During the collapse of the Immortal Realms, Azurefrost was gravely wounded. Ancient Demon Taga and Ancient Fiend Bello seized the opportunity, seeking to seize Azurefrost’s body and inherit his power and memories.

Yet, Azurefrost’s strength was astonishing, even grievously wounded. The combined might of the Ancient Demon and Ancient Fiend still could not fully overcome him. After a drawn-out struggle, Azurefrost escaped to this former Immortal Spirit Realm, where the battle reached its climax.

In that battle, Ancient Fiend Bello was shattered into nine fragments, forced to transform into the Nine Spirits, hidden within the Immortal Spirit Realm, awaiting the passage of countless millennia for his recovery and reunification.

Ancient Demon Taga, on the other hand, successfully invaded Azurefrost’s body, attempting to take possession. Yet, Azurefrost resisted. The Demon was eventually driven to the ninth level of this former cave-dwelling and, upon sitting down, invoked the Ninety-Nine Candle Lamp Formation to resist!

But Ancient Demon Taga was also a being of profound power. He tainted the entire cave-dwelling with demonic energy, corrupting the Azurefrost’s former guards and turning them into his loyal subordinates.

“As for the scattered demon who possessed the body of someone identical to Ling Tianhou, why did he appear in the outside world? How did he obtain that body? These are secrets unto themselves!” Wang Lin’s mind raced. In this brief moment, he had managed to piece together a rough picture of the events within the Immortal Emperor’s cave-dwelling.

As Wang Lin’s thoughts raced and he retreated, a deafening explosion erupted from within the black miasma. With the sound, the darkness violently expanded outwards in all directions.

Wang Wei was thrown from the expanding miasma. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face ashen. Yet, the grief and pain he felt far outweighed any physical injury.

As Wang Wei was sent flying, the outward-rushing darkness swiftly coalesced into a black streak that hurtled straight towards Wang Wei, piercing him through the chest.

Wang Wei spat a plume of blood mist and plummeted to the ground. The suddenness of the attack stunned those who watched.

The black-clad figure inhaled sharply, abandoning all ambition and retreating swiftly. The Emptiness Child did the same, though a glint of murder flashed in his eyes. As he retreated, he veered towards the gravely injured Wang Wei.

“Finishing him off now will ease some of the hatred in this old one’s heart!”

Though grievously wounded, the Emptiness Child still possessed the cultivation of a Shattered Nirvana. He moved with incredible speed, closing on Wang Wei in a flash. He raised his right hand, preparing to strike down on Wang Wei’s skull. A look of savage glee contorted his face as he snarled, “Daring to aid that little bastard! You’ve brought this upon yourself!”

Wang Lin, seeing Wang Wei tossed out and severely wounded, paused in his retreat and flew towards him. However, his speed was no match for the Emptiness Child. He watched helplessly as the Emptiness Child approached Wang Wei, his hand raised, crackling with the earthy power of a Shattered Nirvana cultivator.

In this moment of dire peril, Wang Lin acted without hesitation. The Ancient God Cauldron on his body shimmered, and with blinding speed, he pointed towards Wang Wei, shouting, “Exchange!”

Instantly, a burst of light enveloped Wang Wei. As the Emptiness Child’s palm descended, Wang Wei vanished, replaced by Wang Lin!

Azure light flared in Wang Lin’s right eye. In the instant he appeared beneath the Emptiness Child’s palm, an azure shield materialized between them. The Emptiness Child’s hand slammed into the azure shield with a resounding boom.

The shield buckled, pressing against Wang Lin’s chest. He coughed up blood, his eyes bloodshot. Grabbing the unconscious Wang Wei, he hefted him onto his back and retreated. At the same time, he reached into Wang Wei’s robes, pulled out a waxen pill, crushed it, and forced it into Wang Wei’s mouth.