“The Sacred Maiden of Kunxu!” Tian Yunzi’s countenance shifted, his grip tightening on his trident as he retreated a few paces. His gaze, however, darted past her, settling upon the aged figure hovering in the air.

“Lü Yundao!” Tian Yunzi’s brow furrowed, his voice a low rumble. “Does the realm of Kunxu intend to involve itself in this affair as well?”

The elder cast a glance at Tian Yunzi, then turned his gaze towards the grim figure of the ancient demon, Taga, hanging in the air. A flicker of remembrance danced in his eyes as he beheld the demon.

“My quarry lies with him,” the elder sighed, and began to walk towards the ancient demon Taga.

The demon’s eyes blazed with infernal light as he fixed his gaze upon the elder. A glint of unease crept into his expression. With a sweep of his hand, a dark blade materialized, and he rasped, “It is you! I had thought you long dead!”

“I should have perished, were it not for the timely aid of my friend Qinglin. Though animosity once ran deep between us, he saved me from oblivion, and thus I owe him a debt. Today, I shall repay that debt through you!” With each word, the elder moved closer to the demon, his demeanor serene, as if the mighty ancient demon was beneath his notice.

Taga roared, his body blurring as he unleashed a tempest of black mist, transforming into a monstrous shade. With a deafening bellow, the shadow lunged, jaws agape, attempting to devour the elder whole.

In the blink of an eye, the space where the demon and elder stood was engulfed by a swirling vortex of darkness. Within, the demon’s roars echoed amidst the thunderous reverberations of a titanic struggle.

Meanwhile, Mu Bingmei gently laid Wang Lin down, her form ascending like a falcon towards Tian Yunzi.

Tian Yunzi frowned, taking a few steps back. “Sacred Maiden of Kunxu, I have no desire to make an enemy of your realm. Wang Lin is no kin to you, and none shall stand in my way as I strike him down.”

“You have no right to take his life!” Mu Bingmei countered, her voice firm as she drew closer. With a wave of her hand, a shimmering illusion spread forth, revealing not one, but eight spectral duplicates of herself!

“Spiritual Void Lock, Refine Heavens and Transform Qi!” Mu Bingmei chanted, her voice tranquil. The moment the words left her lips, each of her eight doubles began to weave arcane seals with their hands. A surge of vast celestial energy cascaded from the heavens, coalescing into a pillar of pure essence that descended with earth-shattering force.

Tian Yunzi’s eyes flickered with a strange light as his lips moved in silent incantation. The descending pillar faltered, trembling under the influence of his power.

Mu Bingmei shook her head gently. “Your arts of Heavenly Fortune hold no sway over me!” she proclaimed. With a gesture, she gathered the ambient celestial energy, which formed into a scroll of bamboo before her. With a flick of her wrist, the scroll unfurled, releasing a burst of iridescent light that pierced the heavens. Countless sigils poured forth, swirling around Mu Bingmei like a radiant aura.

“Though I have only weathered the first tribulation of ascension, within the Kunxu starfield, no power escapes my grasp. If I will it, not a single mote of celestial force shall be yours!” Mu Bingmei declared, her jade finger pointing forward. The sigils surrounding her dispersed, vanishing into the very fabric of the world.

In that instant, the entire world, the very expanse of the cosmos, trembled as the celestial energy underwent a dramatic shift. It surged, converging upon the pillar of essence with frenzied intensity.

“Be sealed! Severed from all external power!” Mu Bingmei commanded, her gaze fixed upon Tian Yunzi. Her voice, though calm, resonated with an undeniable authority.

In that instant, all external energy around Tian Yunzi was violently expelled, as if rejected by his very being. The dissipation was so swift that it was gone in a breath.

Only the essence within Tian Yunzi’s body, that which he had refined himself, remained untouched.

This astounding display of power exceeded the comprehension of all who beheld it, and even Tian Yunzi’s face darkened.

“I have heard tales of the Sacred Maiden of Kunxu, of her extraordinary power. The Sacred Maidens of Kunxu inherit a lineage from antiquity. Even during the age of immortals, they held a status equal to that of the Immortal Palace. Beneath the Four Great Immortal Realms lie four starfields, each with a guardian, a descendant of the ancient immortal lineage. Each Sacred Maiden controls different aspects of the universe. I heard many tales of you when I cultivated in Kunxu,” he admitted, “and now I see their truth.”

Mu Bingmei remained silent, pointing a slender finger at the pillar of essence. It shrank, transforming into a shimmering, crystalline dagger.

Grasping the dagger, Mu Bingmei lifted her gaze, her movements graceful as a butterfly as she rushed towards Tian Yunzi. Not once did she look back at Wang Lin. The turmoil within her made it impossible for her to know how to face this familiar stranger.

Her thoughts were a labyrinth, even to herself. She knew one thing for certain: she could not stand idly by as Wang Lin perished, nor could she remain indifferent as others sought to end his life.

A complex and poignant longing stirred within her… for this, more than anything, she would not allow anyone to harm Wang Lin.

This yearning had haunted her for what felt like an eternity.

It consumed her thoughts, stirring her from meditation in the dead of night. Standing alone on the highest peak in Kunxu, gazing at the black expanse of the heavens, the ache would intensify, and the longing would become an unbearable weight.

She had lived like this for countless years… and now, she had seen Wang Lin, and the complex longing, born from heartache, had seized her entire being.

She dared not look down at Wang Lin, to see if he still lay unconscious. She simply… could not.

She could only grasp the dagger, and with a heart full of conflict, she charged towards Tian Yunzi. Perhaps, she thought, this was the only way to find some measure of peace within her troubled soul.

Tian Yunzi’s expression was grim. Despite his knowledge of the Sacred Maiden of Kunxu, he had not anticipated her ability to seal the celestial energy. With such power, his arts of Heavenly Fortune were rendered useless.
The Art of Celestial Fortune, a practice whispered of only in hushed tones, was naught but a communion with the very fabric of existence. Through this mystical link, one could barter for the unseen laws that governed the cosmos, bending them to their whim, making them instruments of their will.

With a contemptuous snort, the Celestial Fortune Master, Tian Yunzi, swept his trident. Instantly, it fractured into three blinding streaks of iridescent light, each hurtling towards Mu Bingmei with murderous intent.

As thunderous echoes reverberated across the ravaged landscape, upon the broken earth, Wang Lin’s eyes snapped open. He gazed upwards, his gaze fixated on Mu Bingmei, who waged a desperate battle against Tian Yunzi. A maelstrom of emotions, tangled with an enduring, agonizing pain, swirled within him.

He had not foreseen their reunion, a reunion thrust upon them in the heart of chaos. The memory of her, of Liu Mei, brought forth a torment far exceeding any physical wound. The soul-deep ache, the poignant image of Wang Ping’s desolate existence, remained an unyielding weight upon his heart.

Silence descended as Wang Lin assumed a meditative posture, drawing a deep, shuddering breath. He had reached the precipice of his power, his well of techniques depleted, leaving him seemingly defenseless against the tide of fate.

“Nay,” he muttered, his voice barely audible above the din of battle, “I yet possess a singular, hidden strength!” Wang Lin raised his gaze towards the rent in the heavens, torn asunder by the Sword Tempest. Through the jagged wound, the boundless expanse of the star-strewn void spilled forth, bathing the Demon Spirit Land in its potent, celestial energy.

“The Azure Light Shield, though shattered in two, has not vanished entirely. Within its fragments lies a single, devastating strike, a parting gift from an Eight-Star Ancient God…” Its true power remained a mystery, yet he knew, with unwavering certainty, that it would be anything but weak. In his right eye, a faint, ethereal image of the Azure Light Shield flickered within his pupil.

The two fractured pieces of the shield, nestled within the depths of his eye, were slowly merging, drawn together by an unseen force. Even in their fragmented state, the Eight-Star Ancient God’s final defense could be unleashed, provided…provided he possessed sufficient Ancient God power to fuel it.

He had long contemplated a solution to this dilemma: to separate his avatar from his true form, allowing the slumbering true form to continuously absorb the ambient energy, slowly replenishing the Azure Light Shield’s depleted reserves.

However, such a method required time, a luxury he no longer possessed. He had intended to undertake this arduous task upon his departure from the Demon Spirit Land, but the present circumstances demanded a more immediate solution, a shortcut.

But all shortcuts demanded a price, and this price…this was one that Wang Lin was prepared to pay.

He lifted his gaze once more to the fray above, his eyes locking with those of Liu Mei as she battled Tian Yunzi. A steely resolve hardened his features, driving away the last vestiges of doubt.

“I shall not require her salvation, nor shall I incur any debt to this woman!”

In an instant, five ancient god stars blazed to life upon his brow, spinning with furious intensity. A torrent of ancient god power erupted forth, flooding his right eye, and surging into the fractured Azure Light Shield.

As the ancient god energy poured in, the azure light emanating from Wang Lin’s right eye intensified exponentially, becoming a beacon of blinding brilliance.

He was sacrificing his own ancient god power to satiate the Azure Light Shield’s insatiable hunger. The cost was immense. Though his own constellation remained intact, the drain on his reserves was so severe that his fifth ancient god star began to fade, its light dimming to a mere flicker.

Yet, as long as the star did not shatter entirely, it could, in time, be replenished.

However, the Azure Light Shield’s thirst seemed boundless. As the stars upon his brow spun ever faster, more and more of his precious ancient god power was consumed by his right eye. Slowly, agonizingly, the fourth star succumbed, its brilliance fading into obscurity.

The azure light engulfing Wang Lin’s right eye expanded, bathing the surrounding thousand feet in its otherworldly glow. Even Mu Bingmei and Tian Yunzi, locked in their aerial struggle, couldn’t help but notice the strange, ethereal light emanating from below.

The stars upon his brow spun with increased ferocity. The third ancient god star flickered and died, followed swiftly by the fourth. Finally, the last remaining star began to dim, its light rapidly fading towards the abyss of nothingness.

But in that very instant, the azure light in Wang Lin’s right eye erupted, coalescing into a thousand ethereal swords that pierced the heavens. His gaze, now a conduit of ancient power, swept across the hundred-mile swathe of earth that had been rent asunder by Tian Yunzi’s attacks. The moment his gaze fell upon it, the ground shuddered violently, unable to withstand the weight of his gaze. With a deafening roar, it crumbled and collapsed.