The sound crashed like a tidal wave, echoing across the celestial expanse of the God Sect cultivation star, swelling into a deafening, earth-shattering roar.

Wang Lin surveyed the assembled cultivators with an unruffled gaze. From the moment of his return, he understood that the mantle of the Sealed Realm Sovereign, now his, demanded perpetuation. The glory of the Cloud Sea weighed upon him. He offered a respectful bow to the throng. Spiritual Master Ling Dong and Zhou Jin retreated to stand behind him, Zhou Jin’s face a mask of complex emotions, awe shimmering in his eyes. He had never imagined Wang Lin held such a lofty position within the Realm!

“The Sealed Lord…”

Ling Dong, his loyalty forged in the crucible of Wang Lin’s power, remained steadfast, his gaze fixed forward.

“Zhou De of the Zhaohe Starfield pays homage to the Sealed Lord!” the black-robed elder declared with a wry smile, bowing deeply.

“Yun Fengzi of the Zhaohe Starfield offers his respects to the Sealed Lord. Forgive the past transgressions, a mere misunderstanding, and harbor no ill will!” the middle-aged cultivator echoed, a bitter smile on his lips as he clasped his hands in greeting.

“I am Hong Xuzi. Long ago, I forged an accord with the Sealed Lord. Today, your slaying of the slave and lifting the Cloud Sea’s burden confirms your right to this generation’s title! But the invaders from beyond the Realm are upon us, and our strength is meager against their onslaught. We have no choice but to fight! You have two Third Step Great Powers by your side, and your own cultivation is formidable, but it is not enough! As the Sealed Lord of this age, are you prepared to stand with me, with the entire Realm, and face death together?” Hong Xuzi’s gaze burned like lightning, radiating a pressure akin to that of Azure Dream Daoist Lord.

Wang Lin paused, then nodded.

“I am Nan Yunzi. You are, by birth, a Kunxu cultivator. I have heard word from Hong Xuzi that you have journeyed beyond the Realm. What is the true might of those beyond?” the spectral elder from the Corpse Yin Sect inquired, his voice a soft rasp.

As time trickled by, the cultivators of the various sects within the God Sect dispersed, and the Cloud Sea once more sank into a fevered state of war preparation.

Hong Xuzi and Nan Yunzi listened in silence to Wang Lin’s firsthand account, their eyes shadowed with worry. The strength of the invaders surpassed even their darkest fears.

“To bind two of the five Primordial Sovereigns, and to contain the Great Desolate Ascetic… for this, you deserve immense credit! Otherwise, this war would be even more arduous!” Hong Xuzi sighed.

“This Nether Beast is different from the tales of old. You have to observe it carefully as it has consumed the Golden Storm. That Golden Bell was sent by the ancient immortal domain to prepare for this battle, but it was destroyed by the Water Daoist!”

“The Seven-Colored Realm that Lu Fuzi spoke of must also be addressed. Since you have volunteered to venture to the Kunxu Alliance’s Seven-Colored Realm, so be it. As for the other locations, we will combine our divine senses to scour them out and destroy them, one by one!” Nan Yunzi said gravely.

“As for Tai A Luo, only half of your seal can be lifted for now. The other half will have to wait until the battle with the invaders is over!” Hong Xuzi decreed, his gaze resting upon the barefooted Tai A Luo.

Tai A Luo frowned but, after a moment of contemplation, nodded his assent.

Wang Lin clasped his hands in farewell to the others, then glanced upwards at Mu Bingmei, meditating behind the illusory veil of the heavens. He withdrew his gaze, took the Nether Beast and the duo of Ling Dong and Zhou Jin, and departed.

As he strode through the God Sect, Wang Lin did not linger. But as he left, a wave of divine sense washed over the heavens and the earth.

“The God Sect was founded by the previous Sealed Lord. I, as the Sealed Lord of this age, command you, the God Sect, to heed the orders of Mu Bingmei, and elevate her as your Sect Master! Furthermore, the cultivators of the Returning Origin Sect shall be merged into the God Sect!”

“We obey the Sealed Lord’s decree!” The cultivators of the God Sect replied as one.

Within the Cloud Sea Starfield, the scattered mists began to coalesce once more, but without their former density, unable to fully conceal the Sealed Realm Grand Array beneath, shimmering with golden light for all the cultivators in the starry skies to behold.

Wang Lin’s figure materialized in the void. He moved forward in silence. With the death of the Water Daoist, a great weight had been lifted from his heart. Now, he would return home!

Turning towards his homeland, a softness crept into Wang Lin’s face. Neither the Luo Tian nor the Cloud Sea could claim to be his true home. He had but one true home: the Kunxu Starfield!

“Brother Qingshui, in those days I lacked the strength to save you. Now, I come!” Wang Lin declared.

But at that very moment, a cataclysmic change shook the Cloud Sea!

Beyond the Sealed Realm Grand Array, within the remaining tribal starfields of the Moon Devourer race in the Primordial Starry Skies, a number of sword lights screamed through space, hurtling towards the Moon Devourers!

Even before the sword light arrived, deafening booms echoed through space, reaching every member of the Moon Devourer tribes.

As they gazed upwards, the sword light erupted with blinding intensity, bathing the cosmos in its radiance. A venerable voice resonated through the heavens:

“By decree of the Elders Council, the Moon Devourer race shall gather its full strength and assemble at the Eastern Array Nexus! Prepare for the first battle of the invasion!”

The hearts of the Moon Devourer cultivators trembled. After a moment of stunned silence, they unleashed a primal roar, and the entire race began to stir. They had been waiting for this day for a long time!

In the Primordial Starry Skies, within the territory of the Soul Heaven tribe, a similar scene unfolded. Sword light streaked across the heavens, and the same ancient voice echoed:

“By decree of the Elders Council, the Soul Heaven race shall assemble at the Kinetic Array Nexus! Prepare for the first battle of the invasion!”

“By decree of the Elders Council, the Tai Bing race shall assemble at the arrays! Prepare for the first battle of the invasion!”

“By decree of the Elders Council, the remnants of the Fire Devourer race shall assemble at the Eastern Arrays! Prepare for the first battle of the invasion!”

“By decree of the Elders Council, the Dragon Demon race shall assemble and seal the East! Prepare for the first battle of the invasion!”

At that same moment, more than ten Primordial Starry Sky tribes received the summons of the Elders Council, and they surged into motion!

“I am Dong Dizi, Vice Chief Elder of the Elders Council, and I shall oversee the first battle of the invasion!”

“I am Sovereign Nan Zhao, and I shall assist Dong Dizi in overseeing the first battle of the invasion!”
From the venerable council of the Elder Stars, the Oracle of Yun Luo declared, “This shall be the war’s very heart!” Her pronouncement echoed across the ancient firmament, resonating in the souls of every Star-Born, igniting within them a fervor for battle.

“Charge into the Realm Within! Slaughter every living thing, leaving not a blade of grass! Let the vermin within know the might of the Ancient Celestial Way, let the Realm-Born insects comprehend the truth of the Elder Stars!”

“The Realm-Born are savage, beyond redemption! We, the Star-Born, shall purify them with fire and sword, enlightening them to the true path!”

“To the Realm Within!”

“Annihilate the insect-spawn!”

“Seize all treasures! In this conflict, victory alone matters! Every enchanted artifact, elixir, and crucible won, shall belong to the victor! Let the ancient Star-Born Scroll be unfurled anew, that deeds of valor be etched for eternity! The foremost thousand shall receive blessings from the ancient Immortal Domain! The foremost hundred shall be taken as disciples by the Immortal Consorts! The foremost ten shall rule over entire worlds!”

“The foremost three, should they be of sufficient power, shall be gifted ten Three-Ranked Spirit Essences! Should they lack such strength, they shall become disciples of the High Lord himself!”

“And finally, the warrior whose name stands atop the Star-Born Scroll shall claim the hand of Fei Yue of the Ancient Immortal Domain, joining with her in celestial matrimony! Forevermore, he shall be known as an Immortal Venerable!”

Divine whispers coursed through the veins of the Elder Stars, stoking within them a brutal lust for war. Primal roars thundered from every tribe, merging into a tempestuous storm that shook the very foundations of the ancient realm.

For the scattered tribes of the Star-Born, united only by their loose confederation, but a single reason was needed to wage war: plunder! To seize what they desired, what they deemed necessary, and to claim the comely maidens as trophies of conquest! To plunder, to seize, to claim!

“Within the Realm dwells a vermin named Wang Lin! By deceit and treachery, he has slaughtered the Lightning Clan beyond the borders and destroyed an outpost of the Moon Devouring Clan, cruelly slaying countless Star-Born! When we unroll our Star-Born Scroll of Honor, we shall also unroll the Scroll of Certain Death! This Wang Lin shall top the list, and any who slay him shall be credited with the slaughter of ten thousand Realm-Born!”

“Slay! Slay! Slay!”

As these cries of war reverberated beyond the borders, the First Battle Thirteen Tribes stood arrayed before the Eastern Bastion of the Sealed Realm. Nearly ninety thousand strong, their ranks stretched beyond the horizon. Their eyes burned with savage joy, their faces painted with the cruelty of war. They thirsted for the moment the seal would break, unleashing them upon the Realm Within!

Upon each brow was etched a mark, and beneath the swirling bloodlust, an unseen power began to stir. The nine thousand felt their blood boil, and a madness began to take root in their hearts. They were like ravenous beasts, starved for too long, eager to devour all that lay before them!

In the distance, within a celestial banquet hall, four figures floated. At their head stood an aged man clad in Daoist robes. His eyes flickered with an inner light, and upon his brow was the mark of a black serpent. He was Dong Di Zi! Though he did not hold the title of a Venerable, his cultivation had reached the early stages of the Void Profound!

Beside him stood a young man, fair of face but with eyes like narrow slits, revealing a chilling, serpentine gaze. A swirling mist clung to his form, giving him an air of dark mystery. His brow bore the mark of a vortex of black fog. He was Nang Zhao, the Corruptor! Though his cultivation was only in the early stages of the Void Soul, his mastery of poisons rivaled even that of Da Huang!

Alongside them stood the ancient patriarch of the Fire Finch Clan, his face grim and shadowed, his eyes burning with murderous intent as he stared at the Sealed Realm.

Before them all stood a maiden draped in cloud silks. Her head was bowed, her silken tresses cascading down her shoulders. She was Yun Luo, the Oracle of the Elder Stars. Her slender fingers danced in a rapid series of incantations, as if calculating the threads of destiny. A shadow of worry flickered across her face.

“We owe thanks to the Oracle Yun Luo, for revealing the Realm’s attempts to locate the Seven-Colored Boundary established by the High Lord,” Dong Di Zi said with a smile. “But these Realm-Born insects could never comprehend the true scope of the High Lord’s grand design!”

“Our purpose in this war is not merely slaughter, but to establish teleportation arrays. Remember this well,” Yun Luo said as she raised her beautiful face. “Furthermore, Wang Lin must be slain swiftly and decisively! He cannot be allowed to live!”

And so, the war between the Realm Within and the Realm Without began!