“Gather the Thunder Seal!” With the seal shattered, the Great Elder unleashed the full might of the Fourth Heavenly Mortal Cataclysm, a power at its absolute zenith. A transformation washed over him, his very essence shifting, radiating an overwhelming aura of dominance.

Under such pressure, the very fabric of the cosmos seemed to buckle, fracturing and distorting into a chaotic mess. As the words “Gather the Thunder Seal” echoed, a cosmic thunderclap reverberated, drawing forth lightning from the suppressed edges of space, converging upon the Great Elder’s outstretched hand.

A colossal orb of raw lightning materialized, growing exponentially as the surrounding tempest coalesced. Soon, it swelled to encompass tens of thousands of *zhang*, a swirling vortex of crackling energy, a maelstrom of destructive force.

“Behold, I gather!” the Great Elder roared, and within the gargantuan sphere, an earth-shattering boom resounded as the lightning began to compress, relentlessly forced into an ever-smaller space.

Tenfold, a hundredfold, a thousandfold, a millionfold… the compression intensified, the lightning’s luminance blinding, engulfing the star-strewn void, obscuring even the Great Elder himself from mortal sight.

It was as if the totality of light, thunder, and sound in existence was being forced into this singular point, shrinking and shrinking in the Thunder Clan elder’s grip! The horrifying spectacle even sent shivers down Wang Lin’s spine, his pupils constricting. He recognized the technique; he had studied it during his infiltration of the Thunder Clan. With a flash of understanding, he raised his own right hand as if to cradle the cosmos.

“Gather the Thunder Seal!” Wang Lin’s voice resonated, causing the lightning gathering toward the Great Elder to falter. Upon his right palm, the mark of a lightning bolt flared, intertwined with illusions woven from his own elemental will, swirling around the lightning seal, bathing his visage in an eerie, otherworldly light.

In that instant, the cosmic force of thunder and lightning was rent asunder, half surging towards Wang Lin’s outstretched hand, instantly forming a massive thunder sphere.

The Thunder Clan Great Elder, witnessing Wang Lin’s own invocation of the Thunder Seal, narrowed his gaze but remained silent.

Their eyes locked in a tense standoff, each poised to unleash the compressed energy they held captive.

Wang Lin’s thunder sphere instantly compressed a hundred thousand times, and still it shrunk, with earth-shattering cracks echoing from within!

A millionfold, two millionfold… reaching three millionfold, the sphere emanating an unimaginable power capable of destroying the heavens. It was no longer merely lightning he held, but a world-ending cataclysm.

Thunderous explosions continued to emanate. Simultaneously, in the Great Elder’s hand, the sphere he held, fueled by the tempestuous energies around them, compressed, reaching five millionfold!

All of this occurred in the blink of an eye. As they compressed the thunder, the entire cosmos convulsed, seemingly cleaved in two, torn apart in their wake.

Two distinct energies of thunder roared from the dividing rift! The Great Elder wielded the Thunder of Immortality, an ancient source of elemental power, one of the first primordial sparks to descend upon this world in ages past.

His eyes shimmered with unearthly light as he lunged forward, carrying the five millionfold compressed thunder toward Wang Lin!

“Die!”

Wang Lin, however, possessed a thunder born entirely of his own journey, forged through his will and determination, spurred by the core of an Ancient Thunder Dragon as guide. Though not from the same primordial source as the Thunder of Immortality, it was a true, untainted essence, a peer in power.

As the Thunder Clan Elder approached, Wang Lin rose to meet him. His right hand held the three-million-fold compressed thunder, and as he charged forth, he roared to the heavens!

“By the essence of my Thunder, Wang Lin commands all lightning to gather once more!” A frenzied roar echoed from Wang Lin’s hand as the already compressed energy doubled, hurtling toward four millionfold!

This level of compression was at the limit of Wang Lin’s power, madness glinting in his eyes as he and the Thunder Clan Great Elder met in the heart of the torn cosmos for a cataclysmic clash of thunder!

Both were masters of thunder, their battle as simple or as complex as it could be; a contest of thunderous control and belonging.

Both their bodies possessed the power to resist rogue strikes of stray lightning, but these were thunder strikes forged and controlled by the opponent, bearing down with the force of will, and capable of inflicting grievous wounds!

The ensuing cataclysmic blast of thunder unleashed devastation throughout the cosmos. Spatial rifts tore open in every direction as the colliding energies unleashed an unimaginable shockwave.

Like a tidal wave, the shockwave cascaded outwards, washing over the sixteen cultivator stars of the Thunder Clan!

Amidst the destruction, countless lives were lost.

As the thunderous wave expanded, the surrounding realm of thunder seethed, expanding in a torrent that reached a hundredfold, its thunderous boom echoing throughout the cosmos.

Even cultivator stars far removed from the Thunder Clan were not spared, assailed by a rain of corrupted thunder!

As the devastation spread throughout the Thunder Clan, attracting the attention of the ancient world and even drawing the notice of its most powerful entities. A third-step expert was drawn to the Thunder Clan’s sudden, violent transformation.

During the clash, Wang Lin’s compressed lightning buckled. He coughed up blood, even shards of his own organs, as his bones cracked and splintered, struck by a violent tempest!

This was only the first wave. As Wang Lin was flung back, the second wave of thunderous shock slammed into him, its world-ending force enough to destroy all living things!
As the cataclysmic surge approached, a vortex of life and death, Wang Lin’s thoughts were not solely consumed by his own survival. He plotted, with a grim resolve, to cripple the Grand Elder of the Lightning Clan, knowing full well the cost would be dear. Even now, his foe faced the impending annihilation of the collapsing lightning.

“I wager all!” Madness ignited in Wang Lin’s eyes. His spirit thrived on desperation, a heart that beat louder in the face of the impossible. It was through this, coupled with a cunning mind and meticulous calculation, that he had repeatedly triumphed over foes of seemingly insurmountable power.

As the second wave crashed down, Wang Lin’s hands flew through a rapid sequence of arcane gestures. He thrust a finger forward, and a cascade of light erupted from the turbulent chaos surrounding him.

These were not ordinary lights. There was the searing blaze of raw lightning, the crackling luminescence of captured electricity, the starlight of distant, dying suns, and the ethereal glow of collapsing realities. Light bled from the fissures of space itself, and even the faint glimmer of the distant Lightning Clan homeworld, along with the auras of its countless inhabitants, were drawn into the maelstrom. Most importantly, the potent energy emanating from the seven million talismans within his storage ring pulsed with raw power. These myriad lights coalesced, a blinding vortex encompassing Wang Lin in its heart, birthing a colossal spectral shield around him.

Wang Lin’s form vanished, obscured by the radiant, all-consuming construct. Before him stood the Luminescent Aegis, a defensive art of legendary power gifted from the Celestial Dream Dao. The Aegis shuddered under the brutal assault of the second, thunderous wave, its spectral surface vibrating with barely contained force. The light radiating from it intensified exponentially, bathing the starfield in an incandescent glow.

As the Aegis groaned under the strain, nearing its breaking point, Wang Lin roared a defiant challenge to the heavens. He spat forth a mouthful of blood, which splattered across the spectral shield. Instantly, crimson veins pulsed through the radiant construct, reinforcing it with his vital essence. With a thunderous bellow, the Aegis unleashed its fury, reflecting the second, third, and fourth waves of the attack back from whence they came!

The Aegis shattered upon unleashing its defiant reply, and Wang Lin staggered, his face pale. However, his gaze burned with a chilling, predatory intent. With a flick of his wrist, a crimson flash cut through the air – the Blood Sword, renowned for its unyielding sharpness, followed the reflected energy back towards its source.

“Die!” The lightning mark etched into his right eye pulsed with savage intensity, a raw, elemental fury spilling forth. A thunderous aura surrounded the discharge, lending its explosive power to the Blood Sword’s charge. Crimson light blazed in both eyes as the forces of the Twin Extremes were also unleashed.

The events unfolded in a blink. The reflected waves slammed back upon their origin, augmented by the Blood Sword, Wang Lin’s primordial lightning, and the elemental storms of the Twin Extremes. Together, they formed a whirlwind of annihilation, unleashed upon the foe.

The Grand Elder of the Lightning Clan, staggering backward and weaving desperate barriers against the chaotic onslaught, reeled in shock. His eyes widened in disbelief as he realized Wang Lin’s audacious gambit. To dare such a defiance in the face of near-certain doom!

The appearance of the Luminescent Aegis struck him with the force of a physical blow.

“Impossible! The Celestial Dream Dao’s Aegis! Does the Celestial Dream Dao intend my demise?!”

The reflected storm crashed into the already chaotic assault bearing down upon the Grand Elder. He was suddenly subjected to the full, unmitigated fury of the collapsing lightning, exacerbated by the Blood Sword, Wang Lin’s primordial lightning, and the tempestuous energy of the Twin Extremes.

A chilling premonition, absent for far too long, gripped the Grand Elder’s heart. Before he could comprehend its full implications, the onslaught engulfed him. Thunder ripped through the void, echoing for an eternity. When the echoes finally subsided, Wang Lin, aided by the winds and rains of the Rain Summoning Realm, retreated a great distance, shielding himself against the residual lightning.

Then, a thunderous roar erupted, a sound of pure, unbridled rage. From the heart of the dissipating storm, a figure wreathed in crackling energy emerged. It was the Grand Elder of the Lightning Clan. A torrent of power, many times greater than before, emanated from him, creating a palpable storm around his form. Its sheer intensity bordered on the elusive Third Step. His robes were tattered, and a bloody wound marred his right breast where the Blood Sword had pierced. A fractured line ran through the lightning mark on his brow, a testament to the devastation of the Twin Extremes. Scars, bathed in blood, covered his flesh – the work of Wang Lin’s primordial lightning. His life essence reeled from the ravages of the cataclysm.

“You are doomed! By my Fifth Layer Celestial decay and eternal life force! By the name of the undying Sacred Lightning Slave! I unlock the Ancient Lightning Realm! I summon from the depths of time… the Primeval Lightning Dragon!!!”