The hundred or so cultivators surrounding Wang Lin were shaken to their core. The battle had ended with such swiftness, they hadn’t even had time to react!

He strode through the throng, unchallenged. To capture the Myriad Sound Dao Lord’s handmaiden, and to unveil the power of the Hollowflame, instilled awe in all.

But it was not only this. What truly sent shivers down the spines of the nearby cultivators was the incense strike from the Myriad Sound Dao Lord himself, emanating from the storm above… it had been endured, unscathed!

Such a thing was enough to cause a collective tremor in both heart and soul!

“A Hollowflame cultivator!” “Not only is he a Hollowflame cultivator, but he is impervious to a Dao Lord’s attack!” “More than impervious, he bears no mark of harm!” “The divine power he wielded earlier was clearly of the Source. Even if he isn’t a Great Expert of the Third Step, he is but a hair’s breadth away!”

“Who is he?!”

The swarms of mosquito beasts finally descended, their arrival delayed not by their speed, but by the sheer swiftness of the preceding events! Their descent, coupled with Wang Lin’s earlier display, caused the surrounding cultivators to hastily retreat, ceasing their struggles.

Within the tempest above, thunder roared. As Wang Lin fixed a cold gaze upon it, a sound like the tearing of fabric echoed, as if two unseen giants had seized the storm and ripped it asunder. Two figures emerged, hastily retreating in opposite directions!

The figure to the right was none other than the Grand Desolate Upright. A glint of cold light flashed in his eyes as he chuckled, “Well done! You are a worthy descendant of that old bird! To seize the handmaiden before one of the Five Exalted Ones, the Myriad Sound Dao Lord, shows boldness and decisiveness worthy of a hero!

It was not in vain that I gifted you the Poisoned Armor for protection!” As the Grand Desolate Upright spoke, a smile graced his lips. He recognized Wang Lin’s exceptional nature. If they were to join forces…

The figure to the left, the Myriad Sound Dao Lord, appeared as a young noble. His expression was dark as he fixed his gaze upon Wang Lin from mid-air, then suddenly, he smiled.

“Excellent!” His smile was chilling. He glanced at Wang Lin before looking towards the Grand Desolate Upright. With a wave of his hand, a cyan serpent, nearly a thousand feet long, appeared. The serpent thrashed, emitting mournful hisses.

With a squeeze, the serpent issued a tragic shriek, its form becoming ethereal before collapsing into a pill the size of a head, which floated into the Myriad Sound Dao Lord’s hand.

An intoxicating aroma filled the air, and to inhale it was to feel the blood surge through one’s veins, invigorating the spirit.

“Old Poison of the Desolate Wilds, you are no match for me within this ancient tomb. Continuing this battle is futile. I seized your Dao-spirit first, so I shall return it!

Let us cease this conflict, and you may depart. What say you?” These words caused a flicker in the eyes of the Grand Desolate Upright.

Wang Lin’s eyes flashed coldly. A single sentence, capable of reversing the tide!

Each of the Five Exalted Ones of the Ancient Starry Sky possessed a deep well of wisdom. Those who had cultivated for tens of thousands of years were no fools! The Myriad Sound Dao Lord had sensed the nascent alliance between Wang Lin and the Grand Desolate Upright, and with a single sentence, he shattered that potential bond before it could truly form!

What did the Grand Desolate Upright desire? Was it not the Dao-spirit? Take it! Compared to the Celestial Defying Bead within Wang Lin, what value did a Dao-spirit hold? The Myriad Sound Dao Lord remained composed, awaiting the Grand Desolate Upright’s choice!

Wang Lin scoffed. Were they outside, he would have fled the instant he encountered the Myriad Sound Dao Lord, for the gap between them was too vast. But here, Wang Lin was certain of his judgment. Though the Myriad Sound Dao Lord was one of the Five Exalted Ones, he could only exert the power of the Early Stage of Nirvana Shatterer.

While Wang Lin had no chance of victory, it would take considerable effort for the other to slay him.

Most importantly, Wang Lin possessed an Ancient Slave!

The Grand Desolate Upright narrowed his eyes, pondered for a moment, then chuckled. Without so much as a glance at Wang Lin, he nodded to the Myriad Sound Dao Lord, saying, “Present the Dao-spirit, and I shall depart!”

The Myriad Sound Dao Lord remained silent, merely gazing at the Grand Desolate Upright.

“I, Grand Desolate, swear by the incense, that upon receiving the Dao-spirit, I shall not return!” The Grand Desolate Upright knew what the other awaited. Without hesitation, he formed a hand seal, and a peculiar rune materialized.

To swear by the incense, transforming it into a vow-rune, was a commonly trusted method of covenant amongst those of the Third Step. With a wave of his hand, the vow-rune flew towards the Myriad Sound Dao Lord.

Catching the rune, the Myriad Sound Dao Lord inwardly relaxed and tossed the pill in his hand.

The Grand Desolate Upright flicked his sleeve, claiming the pill. He cast a knowing glance at Wang Lin below, then turned and headed into the distance. The instant he stepped into a rift and vanished, Wang Lin’s body shot from the ground with a deafening boom!

A thunderous diagram materialized, engulfed in flames. The moment Wang Lin ascended, the thunder diagram surrounded him as he charged towards the Myriad Sound Dao Lord in the sky. The Myriad Sound Dao Lord snorted, his eyes radiating detachment. To battle a Hollowflame cultivator, one must first seal away all emotions.

He formed a hand seal, and with a resounding palm strike, the power of incense burst forth, coalescing into an ethereal, graceful celestial maiden. In her hand, she held a jade sword, and upon her emergence, she immediately slashed towards Wang Lin.

The sword’s radiance was overwhelming, as if capable of cleaving open this sealed land. With a thunderous roar, it struck towards the thunder diagram!

Without a moment’s delay, the celestial maiden’s sword clashed with the thunder diagram. An earth-shattering explosion erupted, the sword’s Qi not focused on a single point, but exploding into thousands of strands, each one capable of shattering mountains and overturning seas.

In an instant, the thunder diagram shattered, and Wang Lin spat a mouthful of blood as he retreated, his complexion wan, as if gravely wounded and about to flee.

The Myriad Sound Dao Lord’s body swayed, ready to give chase, but at that moment, a gust of black wind roared from behind him. The entire sky abruptly twisted, and a colossal black shadow extended from the warp, morphing into a pitch-black palm, exuding an endless stench of poison as it pressed down upon the Myriad Sound Dao Lord from behind!
A hand, black as a starless night, materialized with impossible swiftness. Before the Venerable Miaoyin could react, it loomed before him. His face contorted in alarm, he abandoned the pursuit of Wang Lin, whirling around. Hands weaving a desperate incantation, he thrust them forward, expelling a torrent of violet mist. Within this ethereal cloud, an ancient shield surged forth, a bulwark against the encroaching darkness.

A deafening roar echoed as the ebony palm slammed against the shield. Cracks spiderwebbed across its surface, yet it held, though the force of the blow sent it hurtling back, smashing into the Venerable Miaoyin himself.

He coughed crimson, staggering backwards.

In that fleeting moment, Wang Lin’s feigned weakness vanished. A predatory glint ignited in his eyes, and with a sweeping gesture, the Blood Sword materialized, a crimson blur hurtling towards the reeling Venerable.

“I claim his entire incense offering!” Wang Lin declared, his voice ringing with icy resolve.

“Granted! His mortal form shall be mine, and I shall weave it into my very soul!” a raspy, ancient voice resonated through the heavens in response.

The Venerable Miaoyin, still reeling, ignored Wang Lin, focusing on the monstrous hand relentlessly pounding down upon him. He channeled his power, forcing the battered shield to intercept each blow. Fury flashed in his eyes as he roared, “Great Desolation, Old Serpent! You break our pact!”

“A jest! I only keep promises to those who deserve them!” cackled the voice. From within the grasping palm emerged the spectral form of the Desolate Hermit. “You robbed me of my treasure once! Within this ancient tomb, I wager you would do so again! And I will not have it. Moreover, this young friend is a descendant of an old comrade, and in all my years I have held but one true friend. I cannot abandon him! Your body, I claim!” With a flick of his wrist, the Hermit shattered the massive fingernails into five scythe-like shards of obsidian. The air screamed as they plunged towards Miaoyin.

The Venerable Miaoyin retreated frantically. Behind him, the Blood Sword raced to overtake him. He dismissed Wang Lin as a mere distraction, believing his true foe to be the treacherous Hermit before him.

He directed the full force of his concentration towards the Obsidian Scythes, infusing the shield with limitless violet power, transforming it into a roiling violet sea.

“Insolent whelp, Wang Lin! Be gone! Once I have dealt with this matter, I will crush you!” he roared, flinging his left hand behind him. A wave of ethereal energy erupted, coalescing into a colossal spectral figure. The specter towered over the battlefield, clad in violet armor, wielding a trident. With a blinding flash of its spectral eyes, it lunged at the Blood Sword, and the figure of Wang Lin behind.

Had the Venerable Miaoyin witnessed Wang Lin’s duel with Sima Mo, had he lingered in the Great Emperor Star to witness its subsequent events, he would have known better than to underestimate the young man. Behind him was no mere mortal: It was a fiend, a spirit of vengeance unleashed. A God who had consumed Ling Dong, a killing machine.

With a howl, the Blood Sword slammed into the trident. The clash echoed. Such was the blade’s edge, that it sliced through the trident and the spectral figure with contemptuous ease, continuing its course straight for Miaoyin.

The sudden shift of events struck terror into the Venerable. He had no time to react. The Desolate Hermit’s scythes closed.

In a moment of desperation, he roared and swept his hands, and his skin was covered by violet, and almost ethereal scales.

The scythes impacted the shield, and tore it asunder.

At that very moment, the Blood Sword pierced the Venerable’s form.

The earth shook. The fabric of reality tore open above the sealed land, spilling in thick clouds of mist.

Miaoyin vomited blood, his flesh torn and tainted by dark magic. The Blood Sword returned to Wang Lin.

“Power of Sound! Power of Water! Sound-Wave Extinction!” Miaoyin hissed, his face contorted with rage. He was forced to admit he had underestimated Wang Lin, the madman.

He did not realize that Wang Lin had prepared an even deadlier attack.