The silver-clad woman, after an age, withdrew her gaze, her eyes clouded with a deeper bewilderment. Faint memories stirred within her, fragmented and indistinct. In her silence, she raised a hand of alabaster, and, guided by the echoes of a forgotten skill, swept it forward. Instantly, an ethereal light flickered, solidifying into a complex warding sigil that sealed the cave’s mouth.

Had Wang Lin been awake, he would have recognized it with a chilling awareness: a spell of Life and Death, the very essence of Annihilation! Moreover, its execution suggested a mastery surpassing even that of the crone in azure robes, a dexterity born of profound experience.

Wang Lin’s slumber was mercifully brief. A few hours passed before his eyelids fluttered open, his gaze immediately drawn to the shimmering barrier at the cave’s entrance. He glanced fleetingly at the silver-clad woman, but spoke not a word. Instead, he crossed his legs and entered a meditative state, drawing upon his inner energies to heal. Three sunrises and sunsets bled into one another, marking the passage of days.

The world outside remained eerily tranquil, devoid of strife. It was as though every cultivator trapped within this kaleidoscopic realm was desperately clinging to life, nurturing their wounds in a silent truce.

Yet, with each passing moment, Wang Lin’s complexion paled further. A sinister, rainbow-hued luminescence seeped through the bandages on his shoulder. The wound itself had closed, but beneath, embedded in his very bone, the seven-colored nail remained, a cruel master slowly fracturing his skeleton. His ancient god-like resilience fought back, mending the fractures as they formed, creating an agonizing cycle of destruction and repair. Worse still, the spectral nail had burrowed into his spirit, slowing its flow, and leaving it weak and weary.

As if these torments were not enough, Wang Lin realized with rising horror that the seven-colored spike was draining his life force, as though it would not relent until he was utterly desiccated.

“What manner of artifact is this,” he cursed inwardly, “that possesses such dreadful power, rending even the Nirvana Shattering Iron Sword asunder!” A pang of sorrow pierced him at the thought of his loyal blade, his companion through countless battles, now broken and useless within this damned rainbow prison.

“And then there are those infernal orbs that Cang Songzi unleashed, each summoning a different, reality-bending spell within this realm, one of which was the ‘Heavenly Fortune Finger’…!” Wang Lin winced, his mind reeling from the memory of Tian Yunzi’s battle spirit, its gaze turning skyward with bewilderment. “This place… it is linked to Tian Yunzi somehow…” After moments of deliberation, a cold fire sparked in his eyes.

“But Cang Songzi must be grievously wounded. His physical form was shattered by the Slave Seal, leaving only his spirit to flee, and he was further weakened by the Iron Sword and the expenditure of countless treasures. Should I recover quickly, his demise is assured when we next meet!”

“The Azure Crone is also trapped within the confines of the formation, and even with her mastery of Life and Death magic, it will not be easy for her to escape given the heart-rending nature of my Annihilation Spell. If she seeks to force her way out, her injuries will be severe!”

“As for Yun Hunzi, the teleportation spell has surely scattered him far and wide, and given the dangers here, his random relocation may be a blessing as well. He has his own demons to conquer!” Wang Lin mused on the misfortunes of his enemies. “These three have all fallen victim to my plans. Only Chen Tianjun of the Beastmaster Sect remains unaccounted for, he was able to leave before me. I felt his spiritual energy dissipate at one point along the way, but it is difficult to confirm his demise….”

“All within this place are playing a treacherous game, reluctant to let anyone else leave unscathed with their treasures. A wounded tiger is a dangerous thing, and a cunning man, even more so. Passive defense is a path to certain doom.” Wang Lin had long seen through the treachery of the realm, and so he had taken decisive action, scattering Yun Hunzi with magic, trapping the Azure Crone, and unleashing Cang Songzi against those who would stand in his way.

A fresh jolt of pain throbbed through his right shoulder, jolting him from his thoughts. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead. His eyes steeled with resolve. Raising his left hand, he sliced open his right shoulder, creating a crimson rent from which blood poured forth, and exposing the bone beneath, and the seven-colored nail buried in his flesh.

Instantly, prismatic light flooded the cavern. Xu Liguo, his voice tinged with a strange longing, silently watched Wang Lin in awe, his internal monologue murmuring, “This fiend…he is a monster! He is merciless to others, but ruthless in his treatment of himself!”

With a ragged breath, Wang Lin steeled himself, then, with a howl of raw pain, reached into the wound and grasped the seven-colored spike with all his strength! An unending wave of agony crashed over him. A muffled groan escaped his lips as his body convulsed, yet still he could not wrench the cursed thing from his bone.

It was as if the nail had grown from his very being, indissolubly bound to his marrow! Most disturbing of all, the radiant hues of the nail began to seep into his bones, transforming them into a kaleidoscope of color. Wang Lin’s face drained of all color as a primal madness stirred within his mind in that instant. It was a madness that vanished as swiftly as it had come, but its fleeting appearance sent a chill through his very soul.

For in that brief moment, the madness had been beyond his control. It was as if his spirit had been cast into the depths of Hell, shackled and imprisoned, and he was no longer his master of himself…

Looking back at his right shoulder, the nail had shrunk by half.

Staring at the offending spike, Wang Lin felt a primal dread seize him. If the nail were to be entirely consumed, his bones would be rendered irrevocably prismatic. When that day came… the madness would not be a fleeting visitor, but a permanent tenant in his mind. “What sort of cursed artifact is this!?” The flesh of his shoulder began to knit itself together, sealing the wound, and concealing the horror beneath. With a quiet sigh, Wang Lin closed his eyes. The spiritual energy within him swirled and churned, struggling to break free. Since brute force had failed, he would attempt to drive the evil from within.

Three more days slipped away. Wang Lin opened his eyes, exhausted. He could only suppress the evil within his bones, he could not drive it out, the prismatic hue held fast in his bones.

“If I can contain it for now, then I am not yet condemned. I need allies… with enough help, perhaps I can force the seven-colored light back, and then tear the nail free from my flesh!” Wang Lin’s gaze drifted to a jade bottle he had left there while unconscious, the very object that Cang Songzi had journeyed here to find.

He grasped the bottle, his consciousness reaching within. It contained roughly half of its volume filled with black liquid, like blood but without its metallic tang.

“Once I have seized Cang Songzi’s spirit, the contents of this vial will be revealed. If I am lucky, its contents will allow me to grow.” With the vial tucked away, Wang Lin rose, his gaze drawn once more to the Life and Death Sigil at the mouth of the cave, then to the silent silver-clad woman.

“You know the art of Life and Death?”

The woman pondered his words. “I… I have some memories of the past…”

“Open the gate.” Wang Lin nodded curtly.

The woman glided towards the cave’s entrance, and, with a touch, dispelled the ward. It dissolved into nothingness, leaving no trace of its existence.

Wang Lin asked no questions. He cast a wide sleeve, snatching Xu Liguo before he could speak, and pulled him and the silver-clad woman into his storage space.

Emerging from the cave, Wang Lin inhaled deeply. Suppressing the pain in his shoulder, he blurred into motion, streaking away into the distance. He was not headed deeper into the realm, but towards the treacherous peaks that encircled the valley, a place wreathed in fog, and haunted by spectral beasts. These beasts were the allies he sought!

He moved with purpose, weaving through treacherous ravines and following his earlier path towards the edges of the realm, until he came upon the pass in the mountains. Wang Lin stared up at the peak above the pass, the lair of the beasts.

After a silent moment of planning, Wang Lin steel himself. He was fully aware of the dangers that lay before him, but if he could just remove that nail, it would all be worth it! “Let us see just how mighty the body of an Ancient God truly is!” Wang Lin broke into motion, his form transforming into a streaking, ethereal line as he climbed.

Even before he neared the peak, a roar echoed from the fog. An enormous eagle, hundreds of feet in length, emerged from the mist, and dove straight at Wang Lin. The fog clung to its wake as the eagle streaked forward. Without hesitation, Wang Lin braced himself for the impact!

Man and beast collided with earth-shattering force. Wang Lin staggered backward, and channeled the force of the impact directly into his right shoulder. The bone rattled. In a flash, rainbow colors shimmered through his skin. The eagle was sent reeling, screaming, as it spun into the air.

Wang Lin’s heart pounded, but he did not hesitate. The first beast was not enough. The entire mountaintop quaked with the sound of the eagle’s cry. The beasts had awoken! A second eagle, as enormous as the first, dove out of the fog and joined its compatriot.

The impacts continued to rain on Wang Lin, again and again, until he looked as though he was struck by the peaks themselves. His face was pale, and blood dripped from his lips, but his eyes grew brighter with excitement.

These were all level twelve beasts, with an impact force to match. Wang Lin’s bones took the brunt of each strike, the seven-colored light within gathering closer and closer to his shoulder.

Black light flashed. The two eagles continued to dive and weave through the air, delivering strikes to Wang Lin with precise fury. His condition grew worse, but Wang Lin remained calm.

The body of an Ancient God could endure. Wang Lin merely needed to keep himself from total destruction. Even a grievous wound was temporary, as long as that nail was ripped from his flesh.

Wang Lin’s body was nearing its limits, but he could feel the prismatic light gathering in his shoulder. The strikes from the eagles were forcing the nail closer to the wound.

A third roar ripped through the air. Another eagle dove from the fog, colliding with Wang Lin’s chest.

The strike was enough to finally break him. Wang Lin shuddered, his entire body reeling. He could feel his flesh break, the bones shattering. But he could also feel the nail moving. His mouth broke into a wide grin. With a sharp explosion, the flesh on his right shoulder exploded, and a seven-colored light flashed from his skin. The light flickered in the air for a moment, before Wang Lin finally destroyed the nail for good.