The threefold self-detonation of the doppelgangers unleashed an unimaginable cataclysm. The very earth trembled, reaching a fever pitch as the mountain began to crumble. Great fissures cracked across the land, tearing asunder this fragment of the Rain Realm.

“Wang Lin, this old one will aid you in rescuing the Azure Dragon Saint Emperor!” Tian Yunzi roared with laughter. Using the force of the exploding doppelgangers, he forced Wang Wei and Hu Juan back, preventing Wang Lin from intervening. He strode forth, plunging directly into the throng of thirty-five Nirvana Shatterer cultivators. Before they could react, he transformed into a streak of light, burrowing beneath the mountain’s base!

Simultaneously, thunderous booms echoed from within the mountain. Under the immense pressure of the Golden Seal, it defied gravity, rising anew, this time by three Zhang! Thus, the mountain had ascended over seven Zhang, nearing ten in total! The ancient figure struggling within the azure light fixed his gaze upon Tian Yunzi, a strange glint in his eyes. Without a word, enveloped in the ethereal glow, he shot forth, escaping the mountain’s depths. As soon as he emerged, he bellowed, “All disciples of the Four Saint Sects, unleash your ultimate powers and destroy this mountain!”

Raising his right hand, he struck downwards with tremendous force. A massive Azure Dragon, tens of thousands of Zhang long, materialized behind him, radiating an aura of immense age. As the elder struck, the dragon opened its maw, spewing forth a torrent of azure energy aimed directly at the mountain.

The surrounding elders of the Four Saint Sects, without hesitation, unleashed their respective arts, converging their boundless power upon the mountain. Even as this occurred, the fissures in the land multiplied, shattering the earth into fragments that collapsed into the void. Spatial rifts widened, threatening to swallow the very fabric of reality.

Deafening explosions shook the heavens and earth. Under the combined assault of the Azure Dragon Saint Emperor and his elders, the mountain quaked violently, shedding massive chunks of rock. Even the gold and silver ore embedded within seemed to falter. Yet, the more devastation wrought, the graver became the Azure Dragon Saint Emperor’s expression.

Suddenly, a long laugh echoed from within the mountain. A fissure split the mountain in two, from which Tian Yunzi burst forth. His countenance was alight with unholy glee as he held aloft a fist-sized orb of black blood. Laughing maniacally, he soared into the heavens.

The Golden Seal that had once bound the mountain transformed into a radiant golden light, pursuing Tian Yunzi. It slammed into the black blood in his hand, as though attempting to imprison it. Tian Yunzi disregarded this entirely. Reaching the heavens, he slammed his right hand down upon the collapsing earth below! With another earth-shattering boom, the already fractured land crumbled on an even grander scale. A colossal vortex appeared in the void below, spinning with terrifying speed, pulverizing the debris and swallowing it whole.

This single act caused not just a fragment of the Rain Realm to collapse, but the very foundation of the entire Rain Immortal World, already unstable, to finally shatter! Muffled roars echoed throughout the heavens and earth. The Rain Realm, like the Thunder Realm before it, began to crumble and fracture.

“Wang Lin, I must thank you for your contributions along the way! If fate allows, we shall meet again! And when we do, I shall attain the Heavenly Dao!” Tian Yunzi cackled as he prepared to flee. The newly freed Azure Dragon Saint Emperor, his eyes gleaming with frigid resolve, formed a hand seal and pointed skyward. The Azure Dragon that had materialized behind him roared, then lunged at Tian Yunzi, intent on devouring him.

In that very instant, the Azure Dragon Saint Emperor struck his own chest, spitting out a mouthful of blood that transformed into a crimson arrow and fused with the dragon’s body. The dragon was instantly bathed in bloody light. Its roar shook the very heavens as it rapidly closed the distance to Tian Yunzi and swallowed him whole.

The roar shook the very heavens and earth. As the Azure Dragon dissipated, Tian Yunzi was thrown out. Two seals on his forehead had been torn open, and blood trickled from the corners of his mouth. He stared at the Azure Dragon Saint Emperor and rasped, “Truly, you are the strongest Saint Emperor of the Four Saint Sects! I am enlightened!” With that, he flickered away again.

The Nirvana Shatterer elders were about to pursue, but the Azure Dragon Saint Emperor shook his head gravely. “Let him go! That man has concealed his true strength. Forcing him to unleash it would result in too many casualties. It’s not worth it! Furthermore, I have been imprisoned for too long and am now at my wit’s end.”

Upon hearing these words, all the elders of the Four Saint Sects bowed respectfully in assent.

“Are you the new Vermillion Bird?” The Azure Dragon Saint Emperor turned his gaze upon Wang Lin and asked slowly.

Wang Lin nodded, clasping his hands in respect. “I greet the Azure Dragon Saint Emperor!”

The Azure Dragon Saint Emperor scrutinized Wang Lin for a long while, then nodded. “The Four Saint Sects are bound by blood. I shall refrain from offering thanks.”

“I must ask, what was the object that Tian Yunzi stole from beneath the mountain?” Wang Lin asked calmly, frowning.

“The Blood of the Heavenly Dao!” The Azure Dragon Saint Emperor’s gaze fell upon Wang Wei and Hu Juan, his pupils contracting slightly.

“The Heavenly Dao… Blood?” Wang Lin gasped.

“Long ago, Xuan Zhongzi and I came here shortly after the Rain Realm began its collapse. Our initial goal was to find the Immortal arts and treasures passed down in the Immortal World, but here, we discovered many strange things. The Immortal World’s destruction happened because of these things!” As the Azure Dragon Saint Emperor spoke, the collapse around them intensified, and the group took to the air and flew upwards.

“This Lock Mountain was established by the Immortal Emperor Qing Lin. During the Immortal cataclysm, the mountain developed a crack. I was enticed by Xuan Zhongzi to enter it, but an accident happened. I became trapped inside, unable to get out. Furthermore, because of the seal, my cries for help could only be heard by a special person!” The Azure Dragon Saint Emperor shot Wang Lin a glance as he was speaking.

“Despite this, under Lock Mountain, I discovered that blood. It was something sealed by Qing Lin. I tried to find out its origins, but I didn’t know anything. Eventually, my fourth Heaven Man Tribulation arrived, and with my state, it was impossible to survive. In desperation, I swallowed the blood…” A hint of terror appeared in the Azure Dragon Saint Emperor’s eyes.

“Just a mouthful was enough for me to faint. When I woke up, my fourth Heaven Man Tribulation had passed. However, inside the seal, there was no World Energy. Although I had the cultivation of someone who had passed the fourth tribulation, I couldn’t escape! I could only gradually weaken as the seal consumed me.”

“What is the Blood of the Heavenly Dao?” Wang Lin asked as they flew. He felt the aura of the blood was familiar, faintly similar to the bloodstains on his Iron Sword. It also contained some of the energy from the crystals he had acquired in the Ancient God Land inside the head of the eight-star Ancient God.

“You will have to ask the disciples of the Immortal Emperor to know!” The Azure Dragon Saint Emperor glanced at Wang Wei and Hu Juan.

“So that’s what happened…” Wang Wei murmured, a bitter expression on her face. She had always wondered about the true cause for the destruction of the Immortal World, and now, upon hearing the Azure Dragon Saint Emperor’s words, her suspicions had gained a measure of certainty.

“Roughly one hundred years before the cataclysm of the Immortal World, there was a rain of red rain in the Rain Immortal World. This red rain was like blood and contained a strange power that my teacher called the Blood of the Heavenly Dao!” Hu Juan said softly from the side.

“No one knows what the Heavenly Dao is, but my teacher believed that the Heavenly Dao was also a living being! There were rumors back when the Ancient Star Region still existed that the Heavenly Dao was already dead!” Wang Wei said with a heavy heart.

“Even if it wasn’t dead, it was heavily injured. What landed in the Rain Realm was naturally the Heavenly Dao’s blood! My teacher collected this Heavenly Dao’s blood and refined it until there was only a fist-sized ball left! My teacher had someone swallow some before, but all those people turned into puddles of blood immediately. After that, no one dared to swallow this Heavenly Dao’s blood!” As she spoke, Wang Wei gave the Azure Dragon Saint Emperor a strange look.

Wang Lin was shocked by these secrets he had never heard of before and couldn’t help but gasp.

“My teacher believed that if the Heavenly Dao’s blood landed in my Rain Immortal World, then perhaps the rest of the Heavenly Dao landed in the other three realms…” Wang Wei looked at Wang Lin and explained, “It is indeed alarming to hear, but if you were to think of the Heavenly Dao as a person who was heavily injured and his body was torn apart and scattered, even his origin soul would collapse into countless fragments and fall, then you can understand… Although, I do not agree with this view. This is just a theory that my teacher came up with after his research.”

While they conversed, they ascended to the platform above the Rain Realm Gate. After landing, the Azure Dragon Saint Emperor spoke solemnly, “That cultivator who stole the Blood of the Heavenly Dao clearly knows everything. However, he doesn’t know that I swallowed half that Heavenly Dao’s blood! The remaining blood is the same size because I mixed in some of my own blood! I want to see how he cultivates it!”

A sinister light flashed in the Azure Dragon Saint Emperor’s eyes, and the strange smile on his face caused all those around him to tremble in fear.

“New Vermillion Bird, return with me to the Four Saint Sects and tell me of the changes of my Four Saint Sects over the years! Only you have come here, so the other Saint Emperors must have died!” The Azure Dragon Saint Emperor’s voice was calm without any emotion.

Wang Lin retreated a step without changing his expression and moved close to Wang Wei and Hu Juan. He said, “Senior Azure Dragon, I have other matters to attend to and will not be able to return to the Four Saint Sects in a short time.”

“Oh?” The Azure Dragon Saint Emperor stared at Wang Lin. Wang Lin didn’t show any fear as he met the gaze of the Azure Dragon Saint Emperor. After a moment, the Azure Dragon Saint Emperor nodded slightly and said, “That will work too!”

With that, he turned and took a step toward the gigantic Rain Realm Gate. Behind him, all the elders of the Four Saint Sects followed him, but a few glanced at Wang Lin before leaving without hesitation! Even the elders of the Vermillion Bird Saint Sect were the same!

“New Vermillion Bird, remember to return the Vermillion Bird’s Ancient Saint Treasure when you return!” The Azure Dragon Saint Emperor’s voice traveled from far away.