“The signs foretold by the Ancient Celestial Consort have returned!” Lord Blue Dream muttered, his face grim as he gazed towards the heavens, his eyes piercing the very veil of existence.

At that very moment, not only Lord Blue Dream, but nearly every Third Step Grand Elder across the entirety of the Ancient Star System, felt a shift within their being. Their complexions changed as they lifted their heads, their gazes following the Lord’s, their expressions equally grave.

Within the Ancient Star System, nestled away was a fragment of the Ancient Celestial Domain, its location known to few. Within its ethereal confines, several celestial women opened their eyes from secluded meditation, their gazes drawn upward as well!

In a wild, untamed region of the Ancient Star System, a colossal figure charged forward with earth-shattering speed. It was Tuo Sen, his eyes bloodshot, his right hand pounding against his brow in frenzied desperation. The booming echoes of his anguish reverberated across the desolate expanse.

“To enslave this god?! You must dream! I am of the noble peak of all creation, and you, a mere cultivator, dare to claim me, to steal my soul! Delusions! Get out of my head!! Get out!!” Madness danced in Tuo Sen’s eyes as his roars became the ravings of a lunatic.

Suddenly, Tuo Sen shuddered, freezing in place. His blood-red eyes locked onto a point in the star-strewn sky.

“An aura of my kin… Familiar… So familiar… I believe I know it!! No, it is Tu Si who recognizes it!”

That voice resonated within Wang Lin’s mind like a thunderclap, yet his hands remained locked onto the Immortal Thunder, refusing to yield. In fact, the moment the voice echoed, he roared and pulled even harder!

“A jest! You think Wang would relinquish his prize so easily? Whoever you are, this Immortal Thunder is mine!! If you persist in your stubbornness, do not blame Wang for what I must do!”

A muffled growl turned into an enraged roar within the vortex, as if Wang Lin’s words had defied it, igniting its fury. The heavens shook with its rage, and lightning surged wildly within the vortex. As it spun faster and faster, a power seemed poised to burst forth from within!

Wang Lin felt the wrath keenly, and his eyes narrowed with icy resolve.

“Wrath! Were my Origin of Fire perfected, I could turn your fury against you, leaving you crippled if not destroyed!”

Wang Lin, with the strength of his Ancient God lineage surging through him, continued to pull with relentless force, inching the thunder out of the vortex.

The roars within grew more intense, its counter-pull a desperate struggle, yet it was no match for Wang Lin’s Ancient God power.

“Rebellious outcast, a descendant of the forsaken Ancient God race, banished by the Heavens! Were it not for the familiarity of your aura, I would have extinguished you long ago. But since you court death, I shall grant your wish!” The voice boomed with celestial authority. As it spoke, the heart of the vortex shattered, unleashing a torrent of black miasma that coalesced into two colossal hands. With a mighty heave, they tore the vortex apart, ripping open a fissure into the unknown! The gap was pitch black, offering no glimpse of what lay beyond, but then, a gnarled hand reached out from the abyss!

The moment it emerged, the very fabric of the star system began to unravel, as if its presence defied the natural order. As it descended, Wang Lin felt as if struck by lightning, his eyes burning with recognition. He knew this hand!

He knew it because long, long ago, over a thousand years past, he had seen it, fought against it, an unforgettable moment seared into his soul!

Then, he was ignorant of the Dao, of the secrets beyond this realm, a naive fool. But now, having endured so much, having lived through a thousand years, every recollection of that moment shook him to his core!

A frenzied madness surged through Wang Lin as he stared at the hand, his voice a desperate cry!

“It is you!! It was you who stole Wan Er’s soul on Planet Suzaku!! Celestial Envoys!!” That anguished cry was rarely heard from Wang Lin, but now, the madness in his eyes turned him into a fierce beast. Those who witnessed his face trembled.

A cold snort echoed from the vortex, and the hand descended, reaching for Wang Lin with devastating speed. Lightning crackled around it, as if the hand itself was made of thunder!

It came crashing down, engulfing the stars, ready to seize him!

Wang Lin had been pushed to the edge of reason. He had one weakness, a point of no return: Li Mu Wan. Anything related to her was enough to shatter his absolute calm. Without hesitation, he released the Immortal Thunder and lunged towards the approaching hand.

As he charged, his Ancient God power exploded forth, and his cultivation ignited in a furious blaze. Behind him, the immense phantom of an Ancient God materialized, shaking the cosmos and exuding an aura of terrifying power!

“This… this is… Tu Si!!” The shocked voice resonated from the vortex.

“Fire!” Wang Lin’s eyes blazed with madness. His left eye flashed blue, and a torrent of blue flames poured out, engulfing his body. A blue Vermillion Bird materialized with a piercing cry!

With the Vermillion’s screech, the flames spread with incredible speed, turning the surroundings into an ocean of azure light!

“Thunder!” Wang Lin’s right eye crackled with lightning, and his Origin imprint manifested. At the same moment, the giant Thunder Dragon that had been circling below roared and surged towards Wang Lin, wrapping itself around him. The Vermillion Bird and Dragon swirled around Wang Lin, a fusion of fire and lightning unleashing power that could shake the heavens!

“Battle!!!” Wang Lin roared, his eyes flashing with crimson light as the Blood Sword materialized in his hand, growing to a massive length of hundred zhang.
In the instant he grasped the crimson blade, the spectral visage of an ancient god that loomed behind him mirrored his action, its ethereal hand materializing a blood-drenched sword, thousands of fathoms in length!

At that moment, Wang Lin poured every ounce of his ancient god power into his right hand, channeling it into the bloody sword. The endless azure inferno that had surrounded him contracted, collapsing into the blade, and even the cerulean Vermillion Bird, screeching defiance, became one with the crimson steel!

Simultaneously, with a thunderous roar, the colossal lightning dragon plunged into Wang Lin’s very being. He became a living vortex, devouring the dragon and merging its essence into the blood-soaked weapon.

The fusion of thunder and fire, the unleashed power of the ancient god, and the swirling of the star of rules upon Wang Lin’s brow, combined with his unyielding battle spirit, drove him to unleash a devastating blow as the descending hand reached for him!

Heaven and earth trembled. An indescribable shockwave erupted outwards, obliterating the sacred ground below into countless fragments. The sixteen celestial bodies in the distance were violently shoved aside, their trajectories warped as if by the hand of a god!

This was a strike that cleaved the very heavens!

The crimson radiance became the sole beacon in the cosmos. As it swept across the heavens, the descending hand recoiled, its fingers spasming. A thin, crimson line erupted on the wrist, marking the point of impact!

In the aftermath of the strike, the hand detached from the arm, plummeting downwards in a torrent of ichor!

A muffled groan echoed from within the vortex as the severed limb retreated. Yet, the momentum of the blood sword remained, rising to strike at the colossal vortex itself!

The sword lashed out, the vortex thundering in response, yet unscathed. Its rotation accelerated as if struck by a titan’s blow, creating a momentary concavity. The severed arm vanished within the vortex, which then vanished from the starfield, as if it had never existed!

As the vortex began to dissipate, Wang Lin strode forward, crimson eyes blazing, and wielding the blood sword, relentlessly slashed at its receding form. Though the sword was capable of cleaving anything, it could not harm the collapsing vortex in the slightest.

He watched helplessly as the vortex faded away, hearing the enraged roars emanating from within.

“How can you possess such a blade… this sword…” the voice dwindled with the vortex, and Wang Lin’s final strike fell upon empty space, the very fabric of existence rent in vain!

“I care not who you are, or from whence you came! The day will come when Wang Lin tears open the heavens and plunges into your domain! You stole my wife’s soul before I had achieved Dao, causing her tragic fate. This debt shall be repaid in blood!” Wang Lin roared, his face twisted in a primal fury he had not felt since arriving in the Ancient Starry Sky.

All had transpired with blinding speed. Even the Undying Lightning had not managed to retreat into the vortex before it vanished, leaving it stranded in the void.

Wang Lin turned, his gaze fixed upon the Undying Lightning. Weakened by the Seven Million Heavens Blade, and further destabilized by Wang Lin’s eruption of power, the lightning bolt seemed to possess sentience. It emitted a mournful crackle and retreated.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Wang Lin snarled, his killing intent still burning. He took a single stride, collapsing space itself, appearing before the Undying Lightning. His right hand shot out, seizing it in a death grip.

The lightning struggled violently, unleashing a thunderous barrage. But Wang Lin, without hesitation, opened his mouth and swallowed it whole!

“Refine this lightning, refine the souls of the eight primordial thunder dragons, and seize the Great Elder’s inherited lightning! My source of lightning will be complete! My cultivation will ascend!”