In the instant the ancient umbrella appeared, a cataclysmic fire erupted from beneath its canopy, engulfing the heavens and descending with furious speed.

Under this inferno, reality twisted and groaned, as if all existence teetered on the brink of shattering. Thick, choking smoke billowed in the wake of the fiery tide.

The three figures paled. Faced with this incandescent rain, they abandoned their pursuit of Wang Lin, retreating in haste. The very presence of this fire umbrella evoked within them a stark, primal terror.

Though mere projections, their deaths held consequence. While their true selves would not perish, their essence would be wounded, demanding long and arduous recuperation. Driven by dread, the trio retreated with desperate urgency.

“A Sealed Lord! To wield such a world-rending power with such cultivation… truly, he is worthy of the title!” the gray-robed elder exclaimed, his face contorted in fear.

“The previous Sealed Lords were notoriously difficult to kill… It seems this generation is no different,” the black-clad crone hissed, her gaze fixed on Wang Lin, murder burning in her eyes, yet her feet carried her swiftly backward.

The Burning Realm Umbrella, a technique alien to this world, demanded a grievous toll from Wang Lin. His understanding was incomplete, his mastery lacking. Each moment of its use devoured his very life force.

The torrent of fire unleashed from the umbrella was fueled by his sacrificed vitality. His visage aged with alarming speed, yet the cold fire in his eyes burned brighter than ever before.

“You think you can escape? You seek to end Wang Lin? You will pay the price! It will *not* be enough!” Wang Lin roared, unleashing the fury of his being, pouring his life essence into the Burning Realm Umbrella. The flames intensified, becoming a ravenous maw descending upon them.

The white-robed man, his face ashen, gnashed his teeth and abruptly thrust his right hand to his brow. With a resounding crack, a snowflake-shaped rune burst forth upon his once-smooth forehead.

As this symbol materialized, a chilling aura permeated the very air, battling against the advancing inferno. The man roared, his fingers digging into his brow, tearing the snowflake sigil free.

He flung it towards the heavens, towards the fire-spewing umbrella.

“I offer my life as the path! I call upon the soul of ice and snow! With the chilling void as my guide, I shall freeze eternity!” The man’s status clearly eclipsed that of his companions. Even among the Ancient Starry Sky, he was a figure second only to the five revered ancients.

His invocation brought forth a transformation of the world.

Upon the still surface of the well-like realm, a deafening cacophony arose as the frigid air spread. The water began to freeze, a layer of ice instantaneously forming in the center and then spreading outwards in all directions. With astonishing speed, the entire surface transformed into a vast, frozen expanse, limitless and unbroken.

From this immense ice sheet emanated shimmering white tendrils of freezing mist, reaching towards the sky, clashing with the inferno. The heavens themselves shuddered.

Above, upon the ancient umbrella, a gargantuan snowflake sigil, tens of thousands of feet across, manifested. The heavens roared as the entirety of the sky became locked in ice!

The sky was an icy well!

The earth, a frozen plane!

Individual snowflakes danced into existence, filling the air. With a final, guttural cry, and a gesture towards the burning umbrella in the icy skies, the man unleashed a tempest of white, each flake a missile of ice descending upon the fire.

The world transformed into a swirling blizzard, a vortex of snow hammering against the umbrella. The flames battled back, melting the snowflakes into torrential rain.

Simultaneously, the frozen water below exuded an endless stream of frigid energy, merging with the icy aura of the heavens, both converging upon the umbrella.

With a chorus of snaps and cracks, the fire emanating from the umbrella was engulfed and frozen, encased in a layer of ice. The ancient umbrella itself became a magnificent ice sculpture!

Countless massive icicles, formed from the frozen rain, hung beneath the umbrella, reflecting the light in a chilling display. Other icy pillars stretched from the earth and sky, fusing with the ice-covered umbrella in a breathtaking, terrifying spectacle.

The man exhaled deeply. His retreating comrades halted, but Wang Lin’s gaze burned with renewed resolve. He pointed towards the frozen umbrella, offering more of his rapidly diminishing life force, and a muffled, thunderous sound echoed from within.

The man’s face contorted in horror, retreating madly. His halted companions paled, echoing his retreat.

Then, with a single, explosive burst, the inferno surged outwards, shattering the ice that held it captive. The pillars connecting the umbrella to the sky and the earth crumbled first, followed by the outer layers of ice surrounding the umbrella. With a deafening roar, the unleashed fire rolled outwards, washing across the landscape.

Murder gleamed in Wang Lin’s eyes. Raising his right hand, he pointed towards the fleeing crone. As he did so, a tendril of flame detached itself from the umbrella and roared towards her. Her face contorted in terror, her hands flashed, weaving arcane seals, but it was too late. The fiery tendril engulfed her, and her screams echoed as the projection of the crone was annihilated.

At that very moment, within a perpetually floating, ebon tower amidst the Ancient Starry Sky, near the well in the tower’s grand hall, several figures sat in meditation.

One of them was the crone. Her eyes snapped open, and she spat a mouthful of blood, her gaze fixed on the well before her. Within, she saw the very realm where Wang Lin stood!

After a long silence, the crone raised her head and addressed the depths of the hall.

“Give me an explanation!”

“The time is not yet ripe… The boy possesses a shackle…” a wizened voice echoed from the hall’s deepest shadows.

The crone fell silent, her gaze returning to the realm within the well.

Within the well, the flames of the ancient umbrella raged. With another point from Wang Lin, the flames split into two, each descending upon the gray-robed elder and the white-clad man.

One fiery serpent lunged at the elder, whose face warped in panic. His hands moved in a blur, and he struck his brow. Immediately, a layer of earth sprang forth, encasing his body in a protective shell. As the flame engulfed him, his figure was consumed in fire.

Thunderous roars shook the realm. When the flames receded, a cluster of enormous earthen spheres hung in the air, riddled with cracks. With a final rumble, they shattered, revealing the battered elder within.

He coughed forth a torrent of blood, his body weakened. Though gravely wounded, he yet lived. Gazing at the renewed onslaught of fire, he sighed in resignation. Raising his hand, he crushed a jade token. His form faded, vanishing without a trace as the flames enveloped him.

His blood, though spewed forth, was ephemeral, disappearing without a trace.

Within the tower on the Ancient Starry Sky, near the crone, sat the gray-robed elder. At this moment, his eyes snapped open, blood trickling from the corner of his lips. He shook his head with a rueful smile.

“A slight miscalculation…”

Within the realm of the well, with Wang Lin’s final gesture, the last tendril of the Burning Realm Umbrella’s fire swept towards the white-clad man. As the flames enveloped him, a thick layer of ice encased his body. Amidst a continuous barrage of explosions, the icy armor shattered and reformed ceaselessly.

He was thrown backward, coming to a halt tens of thousands of feet away. As the layers of ice solidified, they ultimately fused with the flames, creating a prison of frozen fire.

Wang Lin’s face was gaunt and aged. The use of the Burning Realm Umbrella had demanded far too much life force. It was this sacrifice that granted the umbrella its terrible power, but it had also inflicted grievous wounds upon him. The power within his body resisted the umbrella’s influence, and he shuddered uncontrollably.

His life force ebbed. The power of the umbrella waned, threatening to dissipate entirely. A murderous fire burned within Wang Lin’s eyes. He would no longer consider whether he could survive this tribulation.

“What does death matter? I have long wearied of cultivation! To slay a few more before I fall… it is enough!” His hair disheveled, Wang Lin cast aside all restraint. He strode towards the ice-encased man, determined to kill!

But as he drew near the white-robed man, Wang Lin’s eyes narrowed. He lifted his head, and saw that above the massive ice prison, a figure had materialized silently from the void.

It was a woman, her features blurred, but the cold fire in her eyes burned clearly. She raised a jade hand, her fingers extended, and pressed it towards Wang Lin.

“The Five Organs of Immortal Dao! The first is the kidney… Withering kidneys bring grievous harm,” Her voice was soft, but as she spoke, her little finger curled, touching her palm.

Wang Lin shuddered. He felt a strange power permeating the air, and in that instant, a pain beyond description ripped through his kidneys!

Spitting blood, Wang Lin instinctively recoiled. Had his body been transparent, one could have seen his kidneys shriveling rapidly, beyond even the ability of the Ancient God’s powers to restore.

With each step backward, Wang Lin cried out. His kidneys withered, becoming a pool of blood within his body.

Despite the agonizing pain, Wang Lin’s eyes burned with murder at a fever pitch.

“The second is the lungs… Dying lungs bring the end,” The woman’s voice faded and the ring finger bent down and touched the palm.

“The third is the spleen… Collapsed spleen brings decay!” the woman’s middle finger bent down and touched the palm.