The torrential power and breath, surging from the heart below, slammed into the Ancient God’s body, erupting in a cacophony of rumbles and tremors within him. It convulsed throughout his being, casting Wang Lin into what felt like the heart of a raging tempest.

The tri-clan star marks on his brow and in his eyes spun wildly, exhibiting the uncanny hint of coalescing into a ninth star.

The colossal heart throbbed with a measured beat, mirroring Wang Lin’s own. Yet, an illusion took hold, a sensation of merging with the immense organ. He felt the heart as if it were his own, its rhythm dictating his pulse, and this impression intensified with each passing moment.

At last, all other sounds faded, replaced only by the steady, powerful thrum of the heart. The rhythm surged through Wang Lin, bringing an inexplicable comfort, a warm, soothing sensation that gradually quelled the piercing pain in his own heart.

Insight dawned upon Wang Lin’s mind, gleaned from the very pulsations of the colossal heart. His experiences in the final layer of this ancient tomb had imprinted upon him a visceral understanding of how those throbs could drive one’s own heart to the brink of collapse.

This assault – not a spell, nor a divine art, nor a mystical technique – began to unravel as Wang Lin’s heart found synchronization with the throbbing giant. He tentatively traced its outlines, slowly grasping fragments of its underlying truth.

To incite the heart of another with one’s own, to alter its very cadence, bringing about either cardiac arrest or, conversely, binding it to one’s own for insidious manipulation… such a method was all but impossible to defend! “Perhaps,” Wang Lin mused, his eyes snapping open, glinting with newfound knowledge, “I could distill this comprehension and forge my own unique divine ability.” He absorbed the Ancient God’s aura, all the while contemplating the viability of this concept within the depths of his mind.

The heartbeat as sound… and such a sound required augmentation to carry its influence afar. “Within my own essence lies the power of thunder, whose own booming reverberations could serve a similar purpose. If I could concentrate that essence within my heart, magnifying its beat a thousandfold, and then unleash it from my very being…” A flicker of inspiration ignited within Wang Lin’s gaze.

“This must be intertwined with my Dream Dao. The throbbing of the heart, mingled with dreams, could implant hallucinations as the sound enters the ear, causing the subject’s own heart to shift its rhythm. That would indeed amplify the effect!” The light in Wang Lin’s eyes grew more intense.

“And were I to further incorporate the elusive flames of my Fire Essence into this heartbeat, as their heart falters and unease takes hold, they would be consumed by phantom fire…” Wang Lin closed his eyes, the gears of his mind whirring. Beside him, the wraith-like Si Zhi Ni squatted, its malevolent eyes blazing, a tangible air of aggression emanating from its form, accompanied by a low, bestial growl. As Wang Lin and the heart of the Ancient God melded, and he began to grasp the essence of his own cardiac divine art, above, in the second-to-last level of the ancient tomb, pandemonium reigned at the entrance to the final layer. A brutal conflict was reaching its crescendo.

A cataclysmic boom split the heavens, flinging the Third Concubine, Tang Shan, amidst the howling winds to crash upon the crumbling earth. Raising a cloud of dust, Tang Shan struggled to rise, her face ashen, blood streaming from her mouth – a testament to the devastation inflicted. Not far off, Yun Yifeng lay as if dead, his eyes closed, utterly still. The injury he had sustained in his earlier battle with Zhan Lao Gui had finally caught up to him.

There was also Tuo Sen, imprisoned by three swirling black “War” characters that bound him fast. Overhead, the sky was a canvas of twilight, a storm raging, obscuring all. Within this tumult, figures could be vaguely discerned: the Azure Dragon and Vermillion Bird Generals, locked in a desperate clash with two middle-aged cultivators from the Five Planets Sect. Spells and divine arts clashed and echoed, the stalemate holding. Yet, beyond this skirmish, an even greater battle was raging in the distance.

There stood Zhan Lao Gui, beset by Blue Dream Dao Sovereign and the elder surnamed Ma from the Five Planets Sect.

Blue Dream Dao Sovereign’s countenance was grim, his steps faltering. His divine arts were mostly defensive, unable to bring him close to Zhan Lao Gui. Ma the Elder, on the other hand, displayed a begrudging resolve, unleashing earth-shattering power in every move.

He was forced to act. Xuan Luo had commanded him to bring his fellow Five Planets Sect members to this place. Should he fail to comply, Xuan Luo’s wrath would ensure he never escaped the confines of this cave world.

Zhan Lao Gui’s eyes blazed with fury. Had these two not interfered, he would have already descended into the final layer of the ancient tomb, slaying Wang Lin and claiming the Third Soul. But these two were proving to be unyielding adversaries, intent on stalling him. As such, he was unable to pursue his quarry into that final layer.

“Blue Dream Dao Brother, I am about to unleash a great divine art!” Ma the Elder called out, taking a few steps back, his face pale.

As if on cue, Blue Dream Dao Sovereign flung out a sleeve, unleashing a wave of azure light that spread across all directions, aimed at Zhan Lao Gui. But before the wave could reach, Zhan Lao Gui flicked his own sleeve, a single “War” character bursting forth, swelling into a force of nature, shattering the azure light.

“The light of a firefly dares to contend with the moon!” Zhan Lao Gui scoffed, lunging for Ma the Elder. Blue Dream was of little concern to him, for he had never weathered the Xuan Tribulation.

Ma the Elder was another matter. To break free of this entanglement, Zhan Lao Gui needed to cripple his more formidable opponent.

Ma the Elder retreated, his right hand forming a seal, prepared to unleash a spell, but the sudden approach of Zhan Lao Gui sent a flicker of darkness across his features. “This Blue Dream is utterly useless…”

Yet, both he and Zhan Lao Gui underestimated Blue Dream Dao Sovereign. As one of the five Great Sovereigns of the Ancient Era, even the Palm Sovereign held him in cautious regard. Though he had never experienced the Xuan Tribulation, he possessed hidden strength. Blue Dream Dao Sovereign bit his tongue, spitting out a mouthful of blood that merged with the shattered azure light, coalescing into an ancient zither before him!

The zither exuded an aura of profound age, as if it had existed for countless epochs. It was normally incorporeal, dwelling within the blood of Blue Dream Dao Sovereign. But now, freed from its centuries-long slumber, it blazed forth with its true might!

This zither was Blue Dream Dao Sovereign’s most treasured artifact, his trump card. It was what truly inspired caution in the Palm Sovereign. In his long life, Blue Dream Dao Sovereign had only played this zither once, in the battle that earned him his fame. It was a song that buried ten thousand bones and turned to gaze upon a thousand years. Though he had never experienced the Xuan Tribulation, he had invested more thought and effort in this zither than he would have in facing the Tribulation itself. Its origins were cloaked in mystery.

Whispers suggested it did not belong to this cave world!

As the zither materialized, sorrow washed over Blue Dream Dao Sovereign. He longed for his wife, who remained within his storage ring, yet beyond his reach. With a sigh, Blue Dream Dao Sovereign sat behind the instrument, his hands upon the strings, and began to play. A single note rang out, halting Zhan Lao Gui in his tracks, forcing him to leap back. As he turned, the zither sang a crescendo, its notes weaving a web that ensnared Zhan Lao Gui on all sides.

Ma the Elder’s eyes widened with wonder. He did not recognize the zither, but he saw its power. Without hesitation, he raised his right hand towards the sky.

“Five Elements: Gold Immortal! Conjure Golden Heaven!” Infinite golden light erupted from Ma the Elder, shooting towards the heavens. Instantly, the sky rumbled, and the shattered firmament above was shrouded in a shimmering gold.

“Five Elements: Earth Immortal! Conjure Black Earth!” Ma the Elder slammed his left hand on the ground, and in a flash, the earth was devoured by a dark abyss that spread and consumed all!

Exhausted by conjuring two aspects of the Five Elements Immortals, Ma the Elder moved the hands pointing to heaven and earth.

Meanwhile, the Blue Dream Dao Sovereign’s zither song grew fierce, weaving a net of killing intent that utterly entrapped Zhan Lao Gui. The old devil’s eyes flashed, and he struck his own forehead. With an explosion, a blurred shadow escaped from his body, taking on the form of a specter draped in a cloak with only its sinister eyes and long hair visible. It was the soul of the Seven-Colored Immortal, freed from Zhan Lao Gui’s body!

The cloaked spirit stretched out its arms to form a cross, and then brought its hands above and below, colliding with the gold and black hands that fell from the sky. It was at that moment that the heartbeat in the final layer of the ancient tomb reverberated, a steady cadence filled with an undercurrent of earth-shattering power. This was Wang Lin’s heartbeat.