Wang Lin spared no glance for the Water General, who reeled back, sputtering crimson, a mask of disbelief etched upon his face. Instead, the Wanderer closed his eyes, drawing inward, a quiet reverence settling over him as he traced the contours of the newly gifted ‘Drop of Creation’ nestled within his core.

This, the Eighth Source, the Origin of Water, was but a nascent thing within Wang Lin, yet unborn in its full majesty. Like the flame he once fostered, this nascent power required tending, a slow and deliberate nurturing through endless unions to reach its ultimate potential.

Herein lay the divergence between the Manifest and the Ethereal Sources. The Ethereal hinged upon enlightenment, a sudden awakening, a single, blinding spark of comprehension, instantly bestowing mastery. Yet, the path to such clarity was fraught with trials, as Wang Lin well knew from his struggles with Causality, Life and Death, Truth and Illusion.

The Manifest Sources offered a slightly easier path, though only in comparison to their ephemeral cousins. His flames and lightning had grown from mere seeds, fostered and nurtured until they blossomed into true, unyielding power.

And now, within Wang Lin’s very being, throbbed the seed of the Water Source. With it, he could begin the arduous climb towards the pinnacle of mastery, the attainment of true Origin.

Sources were hard-won, but seeds were nigh impossible. Had Wang Lin not devoured half of the Thunder Dragon in ages past, had he not absorbed the undying lightning of the Lightning Clan, he would never have witnessed the birth of his thunder seed.

So too with his flame, without the repeated awakenings of the Vermillion Bird, he would never have had the chance to claim its ember.

Now, this single drop of the cosmos, this ‘Drop of Creation,’ was to him as the Thunder Dragon and its immortal storms, as the Vermillion Bird’s awakened fire, granting Wang Lin the Water Seed!

This was the root of Wang Lin’s elation, for nothing in this world was freely given, but rather earned through steps taken, one after another. The Sources, more than anything, demanded such diligence.

As for the Five Elements Earth Array, Wang Lin had indeed absorbed the essence of the Earth Spirit, but this alone was not enough to coax the seed of the Earth Source into being. It fell far short. Unless another, like the Water General, willingly offered his own insights into the Earth Source, gained through years of meditation upon his armor, and coupled this offering with the aid of countless cultivators… only then might the seed take root.

Such events were beyond seeking, Wang Lin knew.

Savoring the burgeoning life within the Water Seed, Wang Lin opened his eyes. The coldness had fled, replaced by a newfound calm as his gaze met that of the Water General.

In that instant, the Water General seemed to awaken from his daze of shock. Terror seized him, driving him back, each stride more desperate than the last. After a hasty retreat of seven or eight steps, he turned to flee.

But the Water General had granted Wang Lin a great boon, and he could not simply allow him to depart. Wang Lin raised his right hand, and with a gesture, the very heavens thundered. A titanic palm materialized from thin air, seizing the Water General in its grasp.

Even as the Water General struggled in vain, Wang Lin drew back his hand, and the spectral palm returned, bringing the captive before him.

Without hesitation, Wang Lin extended his right forefinger and touched it to the center of the Water General’s brow. The Water General’s face contorted in agony, twisted by the price of his earlier feats of power. He had long since exhausted his vital essence, his visage withered, a husk of its former self. His life force and soul were intertwined with the very armor he wore.

He drew power from it, and the armor, in turn, fed upon him. This pact, forged over countless ages, now threatened to be his undoing, for in his weakened state, the armor would consume his very essence.

As Wang Lin’s finger touched his brow, a surge of raw power poured forth, an unyielding torrent that swept through the Water General, erecting a barrier that severed the bonds between his soul, his body, and the ravenous armor.

“For gifting me the Water Source Seed, I shall not slay you, but offer salvation. This is the code by which I live!” Wang Lin declared, lifting his finger and flicking his wrist.

At once, the armor convulsed, wrenched free from the Water General’s body. It shattered into countless shards that scattered in all directions.

Yet, from each shard, a thread of crimson trailed back, tethering it to the Water General’s form. Even severed, these macabre lifelines lingered, an eerie spectacle.

This horrific sight drew the gaze of the Return to Origin Sect cultivators upon the Five Elements Star, their terror deepening as the Water General’s ghastly transformation instilled a chilling dread.

“The Water General… unarmored…”

Simultaneously, a chorus of agonized screams erupted from the Water General’s throat. The pain threatened to overwhelm him, yet he could not succumb to oblivion. He roared his anguish, knowing in his heart that Wang Lin did not inflict suffering for its own sake, but offered him a twisted form of salvation!

For if the armor were not removed, death would be assured! He had expended all his strength, driven by his desire to slay Wang Lin, and unleashed a level of power from the armor that he could not contain. Had Wang Lin been consumed by the ‘Drop of Creation,’ the Water General would have absorbed its essence, negating any ill effects from the armor. But now, he found himself at the precipice of ruin.

Innumerable crimson threads writhed, binding the Water General to the shattered shards of his armor. With each tremor, the shards danced and fluttered, and the Water General’s tormented cries echoed across the star.

Wang Lin, his brow furrowed, studied the Water General, his gaze sharp with deduction. After a long moment, he raised his right hand, and with a flash of crimson, the Blood Sword appeared. He slashed at the blood-red tendrils that tethered the shards to the Water General.

Explosions echoed, one after another, until the last of the threads snapped, recoiling back into the respective shards of armor.

With the armor fully separated from his flesh, the Water General spat a torrent of blood, his body weak and unsteady. He staggered backward, his eyes filled with conflicting emotions as he gazed upon Wang Lin.

“Depart, I shall not kill you!” Wang Lin said, his gaze drifting towards the scattered armor.

With a final crash, the armor coalesced, drawing itself back together into a flawed but complete suit of armor. It landed on the ground with a dull thud, radiating a faint, watery blue light. Within this light, a long spear materialized, rising and settling into the armor’s outstretched arms, remaining frozen in place.
The waters stilled, then parted as if to speak, but no words came. Weariness, heavy with unspoken sorrow, drew them back, and they vanished into the depths of the Five Elements Water Array.

Wang Lin reached for the suit of armor, seeking to claim it for study. But a prickling awareness seized him. His head snapped up, eyes glinting with cold fire. Without hesitation, he surged forward, a single, powerful stride. Even as he moved, the Water Array churned, waves of energy rippling outwards, radiating an oppressive dread. In an instant, the very world around Wang Lin shattered, collapsing inward.

The disintegration was sudden, absolute. As the Five Elements Water Array dissolved and the heavens themselves fragmented before him, a crushing pressure descended, a force too immense for this place to bear.

Behind the shimmering, azure armor, the swirling waters formed a vortex. From its heart extended a withered, skeletal hand, clawing towards the armor. A raspy, ancient voice, laced with chilling malice, echoed from the depths, forming an invisible wave that crashed against Wang Lin’s very soul.

“This is not for you to possess, whelp! Begone!”

Wang Lin was not caught unawares. The stride he had taken just before the array’s collapse was a deliberate act. It was a step that unleashed the torrent within him, transforming him in a heartbeat from the ordinary to the extraordinary!

His seven essences, in that single motion, fused together, erupting into the late-stage Sky Manifestation cultivation that he possessed!

And as his foot struck down, the very power of his Dao Ancient bloodline surged through every fiber of his being, infusing every bone, making him capable of shattering worlds.

Essence, energy, spirit, bloodline – all exploded from Wang Lin in a tempest of power, a cataclysmic surge that painted him with an aura of indomitable might!

His step, as it landed, coincided with the vortex’s emergence and the reaching arm. Wang Lin’s descending foot was not placed on empty air, but aimed directly at that skeletal limb!

A crushing, merciless stomp!

It all unfolded in a flash, faster than the eye could perceive. Wang Lin’s foot, a lightning strike imbued with the ruthless dominion of the Dao Ancient, slammed down.

A cry of surprise and pain echoed from the vortex. The hand reaching for the armor twisted desperately, attempting a counter-spell. But it was too late. It had not anticipated Wang Lin’s swift and brutal reaction. His foot connected squarely with the outstretched limb.

A deafening crack split the air, mingled with the sickening sound of bones shattering. The arm contorted grotesquely, swelling with angry bruises, a canvas of clotted blood. A stifled groan of agony echoed from the vortex as the limb was yanked back, but not before a wet, explosive *pop* signaled the arm’s rupture, spraying crimson across the fading illusion.

“Dare you steal what is mine, Wang Lin claims?! You have grown tired of life!” Wang Lin swept back his sleeves, planting himself before the armor, his eyes burning with icy contempt as he regarded the vortex.

With a casual flick of his left hand, the azure armor and its accompanying spear dissolved into azure light, vanishing into Wang Lin’s sleeve. This entire sequence, from the initial stride to the final acquisition, was executed with a seamless grace, revealing a presence of a true master.

“A cultivator of the Ancient Kingdom!! You are of the Ancient Clan!” A distorted, agonized shriek tore from the vortex, punctuated by a sharp, pained intake of breath.

High above, beyond the reach of the Five Elements Star, the Great Celestial Xuan Luo observed everything with a triumphant smile, his face radiating an aura of supreme dominance.

“Good! Just as a child of my Dao Ancient should act! This is how we treat those who dare trespass! Had he acted otherwise, I would have been disappointed. This pleases me greatly! If it were I, I would have simply ripped off his appendage!”

“The Returning-to-One Sect… These immortals who flock to this place are… intriguing indeed…” Xuan Luo glanced dismissively at the towering pagoda on the Five Elements Star, knowing that with a mere gesture, he could obliterate all life on that world.