The ancient sorcerer, draped in ebony robes, beheld the scene with disbelief warring with a feverish greed. His hands wove arcane gestures, and he lunged forward once more.

But as he neared, the colossal gate, a gateway to realms unknown, groaned open. In that instant, a blinding light erupted from within, engulfing the sorcerer. A piercing shriek tore through the air, fear etched upon his face. He halted his advance, retreating with unnatural speed.

“Lin… Could the Lord of the Sealed Realm be resurrected?” The sorcerer’s robes ignited, revealing a withered form beneath. Smoke billowed from his flesh, as though the light threatened to melt him away. Even his formidable power was proving insufficient against the emanating aura.

The opening of the gate unleashed a world-shaking presence, rippling outward through the array that guarded the sealed realm, an energy surge that would not be contained.

The very fabric of the seal trembled, and its guardian spirits, departed only a short while ago by Tuo Sen, rose once again, unified in purpose. This time, even the last, most elusive spirit manifested in a form never witnessed before.

It was a jade pendant. As the pendant materialized, the array unleashed an endless torrent of sonic booms that deafened all who heard them.

Beyond the confines of the realm, the ancient and powerful of the Outer Clans felt a tremor in their souls. To those who had lingered for ages untold, this sensation was painfully familiar.

It filled them with dread, their minds went blank, and unadulterated terror took hold. “The Lord of the Sealed Realm!” they whispered, trembling.

Within the boundaries of the realm, the impact was muted, only felt by the strongest. Inside the Divine Sect, in a secret chamber, sat a youth-like figure, his hair as white as snow. He had not stirred for millennia, but at that moment, his eyelids flickered, and his eyes snapped open. “Master’s aura!”

In the Rain Immortal Realm, Qing Lin meditated, seeking to hasten his recovery. But suddenly, his eyes blazed with an intensity never seen before. He rose, gazing into the distance, and exhaled a long, measured breath. “Master!”

In the Wind Immortal Realm, amidst the swarms of stinging beast and crumbling lands, sat an elder, his body petrified, a statue carved from stone.

But at that moment, cracks appeared in the stone where his eyes should be. With a grinding sound, the elder opened eyes that had been shut for eons. “The aura of that old scoundrel…” His gaze flickered with a strange light as forgotten memories flooded back. After an age, he closed his eyes once more, returning to his stony slumber.

Within the Lightning Realm, upon a mountain peak, a woman stood facing the wind, gazing at the heavens with a wistful, confused expression. “I cannot recall… Whose aura is this? It feels so familiar, achingly so…”

At the same instant, on a different star in the Lightning Realm, a youth slept soundly amongst the mountains. He jolted upright, staring blankly into the distance before scratching his head.

“That nearly scared me to death! I thought those old codgers from the Immortal Domain had come to drag me back. But this aura… it feels so familiar…” This was the youth who had escaped from the rift during Wang Lin’s trial by heavenly tribulation! As the gate, fashioned from the Heaven Defying Bead, finished opening it began to disgorge someone into the world.

The sorcerer, his form dissolving in the radiant light, his eyes widened in horror. Then, his brow furrowed. “Not the Lord of the Sealed Realm! It must be the second master of the seal! But his aura is weak. The fear comes not from him, but from the gate! It is Wang Lin who has emerged from within! He has no flesh, only his Nascent Soul!”

The sorcerer’s eyes gleamed. He clenched his teeth, waving his hand, and a miasma of darkness enveloped him. He charged forward.

“Kill him! Seize the Heaven Defying Bead! If I succeed, I need no longer fear Palm Sovereign!”

Enshrouded in the miasma, the sorcerer braved the searing light. A claw emerged from the darkness, reaching for Wang Lin.

Wang Lin’s gaze sharpened. He felt the furious onslaught of a third-step origin essence. Yet, his expression remained calm. He stepped back, remaining within the safety of the Heaven Defying Gate.

As the sorcerer drew near, the gate erupted with a blinding aura. A colossal arm manifested, striking at the sorcerer.

The sorcerer’s miasma exploded, unleashing a surge of origin essence in a desperate attempt to fight off the arm. It all failed miserably, but at least gave the sorcerer a path to kill Wang Lin

The collapse of the miasma did nothing to slow the arm’s descent. It seized the sorcerer.

No matter how he dodged or weaved, he could not escape. He bit his tongue, and his body fractured into three. One raced toward Wang Lin, the other two lunging towards the arm.

The arm clenched into a fist, accelerating with terrifying speed. It swept aside the two copies, and with a final lunge, seized the sorcerer charging towards Wang Lin. It squeezed. “Had my true form been present, I might have had a chance. But as it stands…” A bitter smile crossed the sorcerer’s face, and his body dissolved into nothingness. Wang Lin remained impassive throughout, his expression unchanged. After the sorcerer was gone, the light emanating from the Heaven Defying Gate dimmed, and the door began to shrink. It vanished, becoming the Heaven Defying Bead once more, taking Wang Lin’s Nascent Soul as it fled through the stars and into the void. Leaving no trace.
For a hundred years, the iridescent realm of Shadowfell had slumbered in twilight. Then, on this day, a blinding radiance erupted from the sky above the highest peak, piercing the gloom. As the light engulfed Shadowfell, a spectral figure materialized, its form wavering with a mix of bewilderment and wistful longing. A sigh, faint as a breeze, escaped its essence before a beam of pure light struck a dust-laden corpse atop the mountain.

“It was as if a dream… a dream spanning ages,” murmured the fading spirit of Kuang, as it merged with the lifeless body, becoming one.

Moments later, Wang Lin’s eyes snapped open. Dust exploded from his form in a thunderous burst, creating a whirlwind that swept outward in all directions. After a century of slumber, he had risen once more. As Wang Lin stood, an aura of pure Nirvana late-stage radiated from him, growing stronger until it reached its peak. Then, with a resounding boom, it shattered its limits and ascended to the grand perfection of Nirvana!

Yet, the ascent was not over. The surging power raged anew, launching an assault towards the realm of Shattered Nirvana!

One of the iridescent petals, from which he had drawn strength, contained an immense store of Daoist principles and celestial energies. Though the Celestial Bead had devoured the majority, Wang Lin, through his audacious theft, had managed to wrest a considerable portion from its grasp.

His hair danced wildly, unbidden by any wind. A strange aura emanated from every pore. In his left eye, flames coalesced into a burning sigil, and in his right, lightning formed a similar mark. The two symbols broke free and merged into a single entity, within which the character for “War” flickered. This was a sigil unseen in all of creation, a new rule, a nascent power yet unknown to the cosmos!

The sigil flashed once before settling on Wang Lin’s brow, unifying with his Dao of Truth and Falsehood. Where it touched, a pattern resembling the Taijitu emerged, slowly rotating and emitting an eerie glow. Eventually, the sigil shrank, becoming a single, luminous star point embedded in his forehead, fading until it was nearly imperceptible.

This star point, in all its facets, bore a striking resemblance to the ancient God’s star. Had a nine-star ancient God possessed this new, rule-born star, he might well have been mistaken for… a ten-star God!

The instant this rule star was manifested, an aura of Shattered Nirvana erupted from Wang Lin’s being, so immense that it shook the heavens.

Wang Lin inhaled deeply, clarity returning to his eyes. He raised his right hand, and with rapid gestures, sealed himself with countless layers of protection. Only then did the color return to his cheeks. The crushing power of Shattered Nirvana gradually receded, hidden beneath the myriad seals.

“This power would suffice to propel me to the peak of the early stage of Shattered Nirvana. But should I allow this nascent rule to solidify before fully understanding it, my cultivation would be forever stunted. The cost to my future would be too great!”

“Yet, to abandon it would be a waste. Therefore, I shall seal it away for now. Once I have unraveled and mastered this rule of intent, I will release the seals one by one, ensuring my rise is steady and strong!” Wang Lin took a deep breath, a cold glint in his eyes.

“With my current cultivation at the Grand Perfection of Nirvana, and one foot firmly planted in Shattered Nirvana, coupled with the power of the ancient God’s body, my spells, and my treasures, how strong have I become? Late stage Shattered Nirvana? Grand Perfection? Can I defeat them? Late stage, perhaps. But Grand Perfection… I have never faced. If the opportunity arises, I must!” Wang Lin’s hidden star point flickered uncontrollably, shrouding him in an aura of war.

He took another deep breath, suppressing the star point. His brow furrowed, knowing this was the mark of a power not fully controlled.

“It is time to leave. I wonder how the mosquito beasts have fared these past years? And how long have I slumbered within the iridescent petals? Perhaps twenty or thirty years.” Wang Lin’s eyes shone with renewed vigor. Filled with unshakeable confidence, he stepped forth from the peak and soared into the skies.

“With this chapter closed, I must journey to the Wind Celestial Realm. If I can gather a great swarm of mosquito beasts, even the Divine Sect in the Cloud Sea will be within my reach! I wonder, has Tuosen awakened?”

Meanwhile, within the ancient Starfield, Tuosen stared blankly into the cosmos, clenching his teeth in rage. His face was contorted in a mask of fury, consumed by a desire to obliterate all that lay before him.

He had struggled mightily, sacrificing a star, draining the life force of a third-step cultivator, all to break free from the ancient formation. His goal was to devour Wang Lin, yet now, try as he might, he could sense no trace of his prey.

“Neither within the realm nor without! But his essence lingers within the formation. Could he have merged with it? Absurd! His cultivation is far too low!” Tuosen roared, his eyes bloodshot. He scanned the horizon, his gaze falling upon a distant star system inhabited by the ancient tribes. Unable to contain his rage, he clenched his fists and hurtled towards them.

“Damn you, Wang Lin! One day, I shall find you and devour you whole, only then will my anger be quenched!”