The Envoy of the Heavenly Dao, though unseen, proved a far greater foe than that which Wang Lin faced upon the Vermillion Bird Star. Yet, even so, the Envoy’s hand was severed by Wang Lin’s blade, forged of thunder, fire, and the essence of war, forcing the celestial being to flee.

Gathering the weakened, yet potent, undying lightning, Wang Lin quelled the madness born of the Envoy’s reappearance, and suppressed the sorrowful memories of Li Muwan that threatened to consume his heart.

With a flick of his sleeve, the severed hand of the Heavenly Dao Envoy landed before him. No longer flesh and blood, it had transmuted into a crystal, shaped like a hand, radiating a brilliant light.

Wang Lin’s gaze sharpened. The crystal hand was devoid of palm lines!

All men bore palm lines, even those of elevated cultivation. None would willingly obliterate them.

“Could it be that all Envoys of the Heavenly Dao are born without palm lines?” Wang Lin mused, storing the crystalline hand in his interdimensional pouch. Turning, his eyes fell upon the distant, hesitant figures of the Flash Thunder Clan.

He dismissed them, taking a step forward, ready to depart the realm of the Flash Thunder. Let the Scatter Spirit deal with the aftermath; it was no longer Wang Lin’s concern.

But as he was about to leave, a figure emerged from the distant crowd of cultivators, appearing to struggle with an inner conflict. With a defiant cry, he surged forward, encircled by starlight, riding a vessel like a shuttle, towards Wang Lin.

“M-Master! Do you still remember me?” the cultivator stammered, his body trembling. To utter these words was an act of betrayal against the Flash Thunder Clan. Though the Clan now faced ruin, he risked immediate death at the hands of his kin! Yet, for the sake of his conviction, he could no longer hesitate. “Damn it all,” he seemed to mutter to himself. “A man must make choices. Let fate decide my course. I’d die here anyway. Following Master is just as likely. If it’s treason, so be it! I care not!”

Wang Lin halted, turning a cold gaze upon the approaching figure.

His light pierced the cultivator’s eyes, causing him to flinch. Desperate, he continued, “Master, I… I am Zhong Dahong. Zhong, as in ‘little Zhong.’ Hong, as in ‘little Hong.’ I am Zhong Dahong, Master! Once your servant, always your servant! Do not abandon me, Master! I will serve you faithfully, following you to the ends of the world, never betraying you!”

“You would follow me?” Wang Lin’s voice was still cold, his expression unyielding.

Zhong Dahong sped closer, wary of attacks from his former kin. Hearing Wang Lin’s question, he nodded frantically, his face alight with hope. “Master, if you but allow me to follow, I will do anything! Murder, arson, plunder…I excel at it all! I am no less skilled than Xu Liguo, Master! Grant me this chance, I beg you!”

Wang Lin’s gaze swept over Zhong Dahong. Then, with a flick of his sleeve, he unleashed a torrent of wind, sweeping Zhong Dahong into his interdimensional pouch to join Xu Liguo. He then took a single stride, crossing the void, appearing instantly at the site where the Scatter Spirit fought the last of the Flash Thunder Clan’s Heavenly Dao cultivators.

The air crackled with clashing powers. Wang Lin’s eyes flared crimson, as the essence of extreme boundaries transformed into red lightning, roaring forth to sweep the battlefield. With impossible speed, it pierced the body of a Heavenly Dao cultivator in the first stage of decay, obliterating his soul as it burst from his back, then pierced the brow of another in the second stage, causing his head to explode.

“Scatter Spirit, good fortune to you! Wang Lin bids farewell!” With another step, Wang Lin recalled his extreme boundary essence, vanishing from the battlefield without a trace.

His sudden arrival and the swift slaying of two foes struck terror into the hearts of the remaining Flash Thunder Clan. The Scatter Spirit, however, laughed, his voice booming across the stars.

“Farewell, brother Wang! I foresee that we shall meet again!”

“When we next meet, you will be greatly surprised,” Wang Lin’s voice echoed from the void, already distant, far beyond the Flash Thunder’s realm.

“Greatly surprised?” The Scatter Spirit was puzzled, but gave it no more thought, focusing on unleashing his vengeance upon the surviving Flash Thunder Clan.

In the depths of the Ancient Starry Sky, Wang Lin moved with incredible speed, drawing in his aura until it became barely perceptible. He veiled his form, nearly transformed into a mortal, the five elements within him stirring and obscuring any trace of his true nature.

*If a being of the Third Step were to seek me, they could easily find me. But with my elements in turmoil, I can find a crowded, chaotic place and evade them. If truly, one seeks me… I might just be able to hide.* “I must swiftly refine the lightning. That is the key!” Wang Lin thought, reducing the distance with each step, until he reached a cultivator star.

The star was home to a small clan of the Ancient Starry Sky. Its surface teemed with mortals, bustling and vibrant. The capital city, in particular, was filled with voices and teeming with life, boasting a population of over ten million souls.

As he appeared, his hair turned black, bound high with a ribbon. He wore white robes and carried a fan, adopting the guise of a scholar, stepping into this unfamiliar mortal world.

The streets were crowded with people, both men and women, mingling freely in a way unseen on the Vermillion Bird Star. The shops that lined the streets were busy, filled with patrons. As Wang Lin passed, he could hear the booming voice of a storyteller from within a tavern.

“And then, there’s the True Words Clan and the Immortal Yu Huan. With his strange temperment, he often wandered the mortal world, a tale to be told. Rumor has it that his cultivation partner, Chu Yuexuan, was discovered in this way… Today we will speak of the tale, a tale of how these two immortal cultivators met… A tale of spicy romance! Let all those who listen pay heed!”

Wang Lin smiled wryly. The mortal cities of the Ancient Starry Sky were intriguing. They openly spoke of cultivators, though their tales were often embellished. But their stories revealed that the mortals here were far from strangers to the world of cultivation.

Even as he entered the city, Wang Lin could sense, without the need for his divine sense, the presence of numerous cultivators. Even within the tavern, a man and a woman listened intently to the story. Near the imperial palace to the east, there were nearly a hundred.

*All the better. The chaos here will further obscure my presence. With the elements in turmoil, I should be safe for a while, long enough to refine the lightning. Once the lightning is fully merged with my soul, I wonder how much my cultivation will increase…* Wang Lin gazed calmly at the tavern and walked on.