The crone, alas, underestimated Wang Lin’s command over the Winds of Immortality. Now that he had achieved the Clarity Nirvana stage, the six celestial arts of Bai Fan began to bloom, unlike their fledgling state in the nascent Nirvana. Crucially, the boon bestowed by Qing Lin had granted Wang Lin a deeper understanding of Bai Fan’s arts.

The five black dragons, formed from coalesced black winds, collided with the crimson mist exhaled by the poison witch. The earth trembled, and the crimson vapor churned violently. Within, the black dragons roared, tearing through the mist with blinding speed. They converged, coalescing into a single entity.

In an instant, an oppressive aura radiated outwards, as the five dragons transformed into a spear of pure black. Its form was not entirely corporeal, possessing a spectral quality, yet the aura of its sharpened tip could cleave the very heavens. Ignoring the black rain and the venomous sigil, the spear hurtled towards the crone!

All unfolded with impossible swiftness. Scarcely had the crone expelled her third breath, scarcely had she flung her sleeve, revealing the serpent-toothed viper crested with a rooster’s comb, than the black spear stood less than ten paces distant!

A gust of frigid wind, imbued with supreme power, caused the crone’s face to contort in alarm. Her wrinkled skin buckled and folded, her pupils shrunk to pinpricks, and she desperately retreated. She could not simultaneously command her powers to strike at Wang Lin. Fleeing, she formed a hand seal, and her aged flesh shifted, mutating into patches of black scales. She resembled not a cultivator, but a beast in human form.

Wang Lin, his eyes gleaming with murderous intent, stood firm. The first threat to reach him was the sigil, a tangible manifestation of the statue’s gaze. With a haunting wail, it hurtled towards Wang Lin’s chest at impossible speed.

Evasion was no longer an option, nor did Wang Lin desire it. The poison witch, though wielding a cultivation slightly exceeding his own and possessing venomous arts far surpassing those of Song Wu De, was not invincible. Wang Lin had slain many at the Clarity Nirvana stage!

In a narrow pass, courage reigns supreme! As the poison sigil drew nigh, Wang Lin raised his right hand, palm outstretched, halting its advance a mere seven inches from his breast.

In that instant, Wang Lin’s left hand slammed down upon the back of his right. Twice it struck with earth-shattering force. The heavens within a hundred, then a thousand paces, were violently manipulated, their essence drawn into Wang Lin’s fingertip, and channeled into his palm.

The events transpired in a blink. As the poison sigil touched Wang Lin’s hand, a cataclysmic roar erupted, shaking the very foundation of the barbaric continent. A shockwave surged outward, scattering all before it.

The black rain, exhaled by the witch, could no longer fall. The shockwave dispersed its potency, rendering it harmless.

The roar, louder than a thousand thunderclaps, echoed endlessly. Even Wang Lin’s ears rang, and he stumbled backwards.

The poison sigil trembled, spiderwebs of cracks forming across its surface. With a final *crack*, it shattered, its remains forced backwards by the surging power unleashed by Wang Lin’s hand. This same force slammed into the chest of the spectral statue.

A black handprint appeared upon the statue’s breast, and two fissures snaked across its form. In moments, the fissures had engulfed the entire effigy. The statue crumbled into dust!

Even as Wang Lin retreated, the crested viper pierced through the remnants of the shockwave, venom dripping from its fangs as it darted towards him, emitting a shrill hiss.

Wang Lin’s expression darkened. Still moving backwards, he summoned from his spatial rift the silver-clad corpse. Without a command, the corpse flew towards the viper. Wang Lin, meanwhile, sidestepped the clash and lunged towards the poison witch.

She retreated frantically, attempting to outpace the relentless black spear. It moved with unnatural speed, and began to warp the space around them.

When she saw Wang Lin emerge unscathed from her deadly trap, her countenance grew even more malevolent. She bit her tongue, drawing blood into her mouth, preparing another venomous assault. But in that instant, as Wang Lin charged forward, his eyes locked on hers, he raised his right hand and pointed. “Freeze!”

Unseen threads materialized, instantly ensnaring the poison witch. With a single word, she was rendered immobile, her body shaking uncontrollably.

Green smoke billowed from her mouth. A moment later, a terrible scream escaped her lips. The poisoned blood, meant for a deadly curse, had not been expelled. It flowed down her throat, poisoning her from within. The blood, normally harmless to her, became a deadly toxin, fueled by her interrupted spell and enforced stillness. Her flesh began to rot. Then, with a thunderous roar, the black spear struck. It pierced the witch’s breast, then detonated.

Her scream was cut short. Her body exploded into a crimson spray. Her nascent soul, consumed with terror, attempted to flee, but Wang Lin, with a flick of his sleeve, ensnared it.

The battle was brief, yet fraught with peril. The witch’s venomous arts could slay any in her rank. Even those of higher cultivation could fall prey to her deadly poisons.

Killing was commonplace for Wang Lin, but this death left him unsettled. He did not even know the crone’s name. Had she not launched a murderous assault, Wang Lin would not have taken her life without cause.

The serpent, entangled with the silver-clad corpse, shuddered when its master’s nascent soul was captured. Its savage vigor faded, and it weakened rapidly. The silver-clad corpse seized it, and stilled its struggling form.

Meanwhile, the great black ape had circumvented the battle and passed above the valley sealed by the eight skulls. The monstrous horde surged behind, its roar shaking the very ground. It crashed into the valley.

The sheer number of beasts overwhelmed the valley, and the eight skulls, without the crone’s control, faltered. The lightning that connected them fractured.

Wang Lin glanced at the ape. The ape understood, and continued its flight. The earth quaked as the beasts thundered through the valley. A few turned towards Wang Lin, but they were slain by the flick of his wrist.

Soon, no beast remained. All had followed the ape, their dust cloud joining the fog-shrouded horizon.

Wang Lin’s gaze fell upon the eight skulls. Seeing their weakened state, he stepped forward, approaching a single skull. He formed a seal with his right hand and struck upwards.

The skull trembled. Its eerie light faded, and it shrank to the size of a fist, a gray, lifeless bone suspended in the air.

He repeated the process on the remaining seven. They were clearly components of a larger formation. Wang Lin chose not to seize them, but to seal their power. He knew not what awaited him in the valley, and the fog thwarted his senses.

He cautiously entered the valley. He need but think, and the seals on the skulls would break, restoring the previous warding of the site. The valley was small. He first saw a decaying skeleton. Its body was riddled with lesions and disease, a morbid stench wafting into the air.

Frowning, Wang Lin continued into the heart of the valley. He found a seated figure surrounded by four corpses, dead from poisoning.

“I thank you for saving my life.” A weak voice issued from the seated man. Wang Lin approached slowly.

The four skeletal corpses were similarly marked with lesions and decay. The same vile odor emanated from their bodies.

The seated man was middle-aged, pallid, and marked with a black line on his brow. Even his nascent soul was near death, poisoned by some virulent agent.

“A Clarity Nirvana Late Stage cultivator,” Wang Lin noted. “To poison one so powerful, the toxin must be comparable to the ‘Wanting Death, Lacking Life’ poison.”

“Friend, you have come for the jade slip and the recipe. Though I know not your sect, you intend to acquire them. Even if I refuse, you will find a way to breach my spatial storage. I will give them to you, if you allow me a swift death, and spare me the agony of this Thousand Purple Worm Line toxin.” The man’s face was etched with bitterness and plea. Wang Lin hesitated, gazing at the corpses and the man. Then he nodded.

“These four were my disciples. To protect me, they were poisoned by the Five Venoms Sect’s witch. They died quickly, I thank the heavens.” Grief filled his eyes. These four loyal disciples, who had followed him to the end, were meant to become pillars of his sect.

“The poison has rendered me immobile. Lend me a thread of your power to open my storage, and I will give you the jade slip and recipe. Take them, and then give me a painless death! I fell to this state, and doomed my disciples, all for worldly possessions…” Despair washed over him.

Wang Lin remained silent, and raised his right hand. Power surged from his palm, approaching the man’s body. When it was three inches from his skin, the power abruptly shifted.