“If the rules are set by you, then what harm is there in Wang Lin’s trespass?” Thus did Wang Lin speak, casting his divine sense upon the third Cultivation Star, discerning the trickery afoot.

The rules here, it seemed, were akin to a game of celestial chess. One must divide a sliver of their divine essence, infusing it into a foot soldier below, to face this million-strong battle as a mortal man!

Furthermore, one’s cultivation was to be utterly suppressed, denying them the full might of their power.

“The White Tiger has become a general, and those of the Five Elements, soldiers. Therein lies the advantage he believes he holds! These three hundred fragmented realms may not seal bloodlines, but the power of an entire realm can certainly subdue two or three individuals, suppressing their very blood, and with it, their cultivation. The White Tiger is not only an immortal but also a master of physical strength. Though his immortal blood is likewise weakened, his body remains formidable, his ferocity undimmed, thus making him a general!

As for those of the Five Elements, they eschew physical prowess, resembling scholars. Hence, the division of ranks is clear.”

Wang Lin narrowed his eyes, a glint of shrewdness within.

“The rules here suppress cultivation. The White Tiger is an immortal, and having witnessed my use of Li Guang’s Bow, he must have sensed the absence of immortal blood within me. The bow’s power came solely from the blood of the Imperishable Immortal!

Thus, for one like me, devoid of celestial ichor, my cultivation will be brutally restrained. My divided divine sense, even if manifested as a soldier, would be no more than an ordinary mortal. They, however, possessing the strength of their bloodlines, will retain a portion of their power, however diminished.

This is the advantage he believes he holds! And because he believes me without celestial blood, I will not strain the rules of this realm, nor demand they divert power to suppress a newly arisen bloodline.

He may know of my Daogu inheritance, my body of an Ancient God, but he cannot fathom that within that Daogu inheritance lies its own bloodline! Though it will be suppressed, its strength, when combined with cultivation, will not only match the White Tiger but surpass it!” With a decisive step, Wang Lin moved forward.

The instant he entered this realm, a deafening roar echoed, tearing across the heavens and forcefully integrating a new power, slightly disrupting the rules set by the White Tiger!

As Wang Lin surmised, the power of the realm could suppress bloodlines by nine-tenths when focused on two individuals. But with the arrival of a third, also bearing a bloodline, that suppression would be diluted, its effect diminished.

In that moment, upon the third Cultivation Star, the middle-aged man of the Five Elements felt the shackles upon his blood loosen. Simultaneously, the soldier formed from his divine sense was wreathed in a faint golden light!

Though pale, this aura invigorated the soldier, turning his spear into a deadly blade. He cleaved through several charging enemies with ease.

The White Tiger’s expression twisted in disbelief. He had believed Wang Lin to be without the power of a bloodline, yet the shift in the realm’s rules sent a tremor through his very being.

“He possesses a bloodline! Impossible! I sensed no immortal blood within him, only what was imbued in the Li Guang Bow!”

As Wang Lin entered the shattered realm, his form contorted and vanished, only to reappear above the third Cultivation Star, forming a triangle with the White Tiger and the man of the Five Elements!

The instant Wang Lin arrived, a sliver of his divine sense, beyond his control, shot towards the battlefield below, merging with a common soldier on the opposing side of the White Tiger general.

The soldier, brandishing a long blade, prepared to strike an enemy. He was oblivious to the White Tiger general, clad in white armor atop his steed, who drew a spear and, with a furious roar, hurled it towards the soldier!

Upon Wang Lin’s essence entering his being, the soldier paused. A gleam flashed in his eyes, his hair turning as white as snow, his features blurring, shifting until they mirrored Wang Lin’s own.

He raised the descending blade, reversing its arc, and with a mighty yell, slashed it towards the incoming spear.

With a resounding crash, the spear was sundered in twain, whistling past him to pierce the chest of an enemy soldier, pinning him to the muddy ground.

Having shattered the spear, the soldier, now Wang Lin, lifted his head, fixing his gaze upon the general astride the white horse amidst the vast battlefield!

Above, in the chaotic skies, Wang Lin’s true form sat in the lotus position, a cold sneer upon his lips.

The rules were clear: this was a game of celestial chess, the board the million-strong armies below, and the pieces, the soldiers and generals formed from each player’s divine sense!

The White Tiger general scowled, glancing at Wang Lin before closing his eyes, immersing his mind within the general below.

The White Tiger general, now his divine sense made manifest in a White Armor Commander, locked eyes with Wang Lin. With but a point of his finger the dark miasma of battle began to cling around him forming ten Dark Armor soldiers who, devoid of emotion and with malicious intent, charged into the fray on a path of slaughter toward Wang Lin.

Wang Lin grinned, the sounds of war ringing in his ears – the clash of steel, desperate cries, and furious roars mingling in a symphony of carnage!

He tasted the thrill of battle, drawing the blood from his blade. Each man he slew dissolved into ethereal wisps that merged with his own being, enveloping him in an aura of darkness.

Wang Lin knew that all the soldiers were mere illusions, constructs of the White Tiger’s design, pawns in a game meant for the three of them.

“Slaughter! Slaughter! Slaughter!” Wang Lin plunged into the fray, steeling his grip upon the long bladed weapon. An enemy soldier approached and Wang Lin soared above him, landing on top of his head, using it as a spring board that would carry him amongst the skies as he was suspended with blade raised toward one of the ten Dark Armor soldiers.

The Dark Armor soldier gazed up in horror to see Wang Lin take the place of a dark red moon as it illuminated a warrior fueled by madness.

The Dark Armor soldier raised his shield, hoping to hold off the assault from Wang Lin!

There was a flash and a great cry could be heard for miles as those nearby shook with fear and looked on at the site of Wang Lin descending from the heavens and cleaving the Dark Armor soldier in two from his head to his feet!

Black miasma began to escape from the body of the Dark Armor soldier, filling into Wang Lin, now, after having murdered nearly one hundred men and the Dark Armor soldier, Wang Lin was covered in a thick dark smoke.

At that moment, the sounds of the condensation reverberated as the dark smoke condensed and reformed itself into a suit of black armor, its darkness offset by the contrast of his snow white hair.

The blade that he wielded also became blacker, longer and more menacing!

Wang Lin began to move again, wading through the sea of blood and gore in his dark armor. And as he did, those that he swung his blade against began to fall. After half the incense stick was burnt away, all ten of the White Armor Commander’s Dark Armor soldiers lay dead at his feet!

Now, with the Dark Armor soldiers dead, the dark armor that consumed Wang Lin began to cover him from head to toe!

As for the man of the Five Elements, the divine sense that had been consumed by the man, his armor began to glow with a golden light as his suit of armor had been crafted through his kills. His, however, was far more inferior to that of Wang Lin’s.

This sight caused the White Tiger General to open his eyes as rage began to boil within.

The White Armor Commander began to flee from Wang Lin as he drew another weapon from the steed.

Wang Lin, however, knew that the time to waste was gone and he had to act swiftly if he was to come out on top in this game that was forced upon him! With a roar, Wang Lin lifted his blade high into the air and slammed the butt of it into the ground, launching him into the skies where he began to sprint amongst the bodies of those who littered the battlefield.

And as he stepped, all that he stepped on would turn to a wisp that flowed into Wang Lin, strengthening him with each step he took. After taking over one hundred steps, Wang Lin was suddenly surrounded by a thick cloud of smoke, when, suddenly, a black steed with no remorse burst forth, carrying Wang Lin and his black armor as they rode amongst the battlefield, leaving a trail of corpses behind!

Now, the White Armor Commander could only stare on in horror at the incoming warrior.

Meanwhile, in a different shattered realm, the man known as the Seven-Colored Daoist was growing ever more frustrated at his inability to locate Wang Lin! And in a fit of rage, the Seven-Colored Daoist ripped apart the cosmos to create a gateway and stepped through it.

And in a short moment of pause, the face of the Seven-Colored Daoist lit up with joy as he had finally caught scent of Wang Lin’s presence! Although he was in a different realm, it was very close and it was an opening that the Seven-Colored Daoist would not allow to be closed again!