His frame was a gaunt tapestry of decay, a wretched husk stripped bare of skin. What remained was a ghastly network of blackened flesh, barely resembling the visage of a man, but rather a desecrated corpse, spared the final embrace of rot by some dark miracle.

Across this decrepit form, sinuous veins, like azure serpents, writhed beneath the surface, a desperate, lingering struggle for life. Yet, at the heart of this macabre spectacle, nestled amidst a labyrinth of pulsating vessels, beat a heart the size of a clenched fist, its hue a sinister crimson.

Each throb was not a pulse of life, but a surge of concentrated death!

Crimson eyes, burning with a malevolent light, locked upon Wang Lin, betraying a venomous rage laced with a chilling fear.

An aura of celestial decay, a power born of the Fifth Calamity, coalesced around the ancient patriarch of the Xiang clan. This formidable energy spawned a maelstrom of death, a vortex echoing with the agonizing cries of tortured souls. Within its swirling embrace, a legion of spectral figures howled, their lamentations aimed directly at Wang Lin.

Yet, before Wang Lin, even this tempestuous display of the patriarch’s shattered cultivation was but a paltry thing, easily dismissed.

Ignoring the deathly vortex born of the Fifth Calamity, Wang Lin descended into the ravine. With a single stride, he stepped into the heart of the patriarch’s necrotic aura.

The moment his foot touched the air within the vortex, it recoiled, retreating as though repelled by an invisible force, pushed back by an overwhelming power it could not comprehend.

As Wang Lin drew closer, the fear in the patriarch’s eyes deepened. He raised his right hand and plunged it into his chest, pressing upon his heart. A guttural growl ripped from his throat.

With this desperate act, the patriarch reversed the flow of death that coursed through his veins, invoking the forbidden Art of the Seven Twilights!

By manipulating this arcane technique, he twisted the power of death into the essence of life! His decaying flesh began a frantic, desperate repair.

But before the Seven Twilights could fully take hold, Wang Lin was upon him, closing the distance to less than three yards. In that instant, he raised his right hand and with a casual flick, unleashed a devastating force.

With a sickening *crack*, both arms of the patriarch shattered, erupting into a shower of putrid flesh.

Agony ripped through him as he recoiled, attempting to flee the confines of his desecrated coffin. But before he could retreat more than a few paces, Wang Lin’s chilling gaze fell upon him, and a second, fatal gesture was unleashed.

With deafening roars, his decaying legs exploded, ripped apart by the same unseen force. A powerful suction dragged his crippled body back towards Wang Lin.

All this transpired in a blink of an eye. In mere moments, the patriarch, now limbless and broken, was seized by Wang Lin, his hand gripping the crown of his bald head.

Without wasting a moment on empty words or futile questions, Wang Lin channeled his primordial power, unleashing the forbidden Soul-Seizing Art, seeking the answers he craved from the depths of the patriarch’s mind!

“You dare strike me down! The Xiang clan is but a distant branch of the ancient Donglin family! I am Donglin Tai, a member of the collateral line! You dare kill me?!”

Terror mingled with madness in the patriarch’s eyes as Wang Lin’s soul-rending technique began. He screamed in defiance.

“You destroyed Donglin Star! You slaughtered tens of thousands of its people! Such actions violate the ancient edicts of the Donglin family! You shall not find peace in death! Not only will you die, but all those you hold dear will be obliterated! You dare kill me?!”

“Enough!” Wang Lin’s voice was a cold whisper. As he spoke, a surge of power ripped through the patriarch’s headless body, causing it to disintegrate in a shower of gore.

In Wang Lin’s grasp, only the patriarch’s severed head remained, the Soul-Seizing Art continuing its agonizing work.

But then, a flicker of realization crossed Wang Lin’s face. He clutched the head tightly, and even as he plundered its secrets, he lifted his gaze to the heavens above the ravine.

Above, golden light erupted across the sky, spreading rapidly in all directions. In an instant, a colossal golden gate materialized with a thunderous boom, dominating the heavens!

Upon this gate were inscribed two ancient characters, a name, a lineage!

A family name that had resonated within the Rotian Starfield for eons, its existence predating even the unification of the four great starfields!

Donglin!

As the gate materialized, an overwhelming aura of authority emanated from it. Before Wang Lin’s eyes, the colossal gates slowly creaked open. A blinding golden light poured forth, and from within emerged a towering figure, a golden giant of at least several thousand feet tall!

The giant’s form was solid, as if he were not a specter, but a living, breathing being clad in gleaming golden armor!

“You have ravaged Donglin Star, committing the crime of Ling Chi! You have butchered its people, incurring the penalty of annihilation! You have harmed a member of the Donglin family, earning the wrath of the heavens! These three sins combine to sentence you and your entire lineage to utter destruction!” The golden giant’s voice boomed with celestial fury as he raised his right hand. A colossal golden sword, thousands of feet long, materialized in a flash of light and plunged towards Wang Lin, who stood within the ravine below!

“Kill or be killed! Where does this endless drivel come from? Today, I, Wang Lin, will spill blood. Any who obstruct me, shall perish!” Wang Lin crushed the patriarch’s head, obliterating it in a burst of gore. He sprang upwards as the golden sword hurtled towards him. With a raised hand, he thrust his fingers forward.

This single gesture was imbued with the power of his Daogu heritage, the essence of his cultivation, and the raw force of thunder and flame. With a cataclysmic impact, his hand met the descending blade.

Wang Lin’s eyes glinted with cold rage. As his finger connected, the bloodied sword of his avatar emerged, streaking towards the golden giant.

The colossal blade quaked violently as Wang Lin’s finger touched it, then shattered into a million pieces that crashed into the ravine below. Even the golden giant trembled, his advance faltering.

Just then, the bloodied sword arrived, piercing through the golden giant as he recoiled!
A deafening roar ripped through the heavens as the golden giant exploded from within, its golden armor shattering into a blinding rain of light. The very fabric of existence shimmered and trembled under the celestial luminescence. As the colossus dissolved, a figure materialized beneath the towering gate suspended in the sky: an aged man clad in robes of pure gold.

His face was ashen, stained with a spatter of fresh blood. Shock widened his eyes as he realized Wang Lin’s finger and sword had pierced his illusory facade, forcing him to reveal his true, mortal form.

Wang Lin, his expression unyielding, ascended from the ravaged earth, his gaze fixing upon the golden-robed elder. The elder’s cultivation was undeniable, surpassing even the Fifth Decay of Heaven and Man, teetering on the precipice of the fabled Third Step, much like the long-gone Ling Dong Celestial.

“Enough blood has been spilled this day,” Wang Lin stated, his white hair billowing as he swept his sleeve in a grand gesture. An aura of ancient mastery emanated from him. “Wang Lin intends to depart. Will you stand in my path?”

The elder’s face was a mask of conflicted emotions. He regarded Wang Lin with a searching gaze for what seemed like an age. Finally, he clasped his hands in a respectful bow, his voice heavy as he spoke, “Your power is unfathomable, stranger. I lack the strength to impede your passage. However, you have slain members of the Eastern Azure Star Clan and ravaged their homeworld, violating the ancient Edicts. I must report this transgression to the Clan; the Council of Elders will decide your fate.”

Wang Lin’s gaze remained impassive. He would never have spilled blood had the Eastern Azure cultivators not stood against him. Was he meant to stand idle, absorbing their attacks without defense? Such a notion was preposterous!

“I do not strike unless provoked. Consider yourselves warned,” Wang Lin’s voice was like the whisper of a winter wind. His gaze bypassed the elder and fixed upon the partially open golden gate looming behind him.

Turning, he took a single step into the star-strewn void. The air shimmered, and in a blink, Wang Lin vanished from that realm.

Only after his departure did the golden-robed elder succumb to his injuries, coughing up torrents of blood, crimson stains blossoming across his chest. He was grievously wounded by Wang Lin’s effortless assault, hovering at the edge of oblivion. The memory alone sent icy shivers down his spine.

A sigh echoed from behind. From within the swirling light of the gate, a figure emerged – a man in middle years, also adorned in golden robes.

“Why did you not intervene?” The elder clutched his chest, turning to face the newcomer.

“Our ancestor declared before his slumber: ‘When Eastern Azure falls, the Eastern Azure Clan shall stir…’ This is our trial,” the younger man replied. “Furthermore, this man sensed my presence and delivered a warning. He is no ordinary foe.”

He shook his head, watching Wang Lin’s departing silhouette fade. “Our cultivations are comparable, neither of us having truly grasped the Third Step. Even if I had engaged him, I doubt I could have restrained him. My arts, however, are unique; I perceive energies invisible to you. I sensed the presence of two great beings clinging to him. In your brief skirmish, he revealed only a sliver of his true power. How could I hope to stand against him?”

“Come,” the younger man continued, “Our clan dwindles; only you and I are yet awakened…” He suddenly paused, his eyes snapping towards the gate, and a look of surprise spread on his face. The elder followed his gaze.

From the heart of the half-opened gate, an earth-shattering power thundered forth!

Joy lit their faces. Without hesitation, they stepped through the shimmering portal and vanished.

Only the golden gate remained, a silent sentinel suspended between realms.

Beyond lay a world encased in eternal winter.

Here, the very air was frozen, the clouds sculpted into frozen monuments. Floating islands of shattered earth were transformed into elaborate ice sculptures, gigantic icicles hanging like glittering swords.

Upon one of these frozen islands, situated at the heart of this glacial domain, sat a woman. Her beauty was breathtaking, but coldness radiated from her like the breath of a blizzard. Her body was frozen, integrated into the ice of the island, yet now, her eyes snapped open.

In that instant, star-like points of light coalesced between her brow, slowly spinning, releasing an ancient, divine power.

The two golden-robed figures rushed to her side, kneeling reverently upon the island.

“We greet Elder Goddess upon her awakening!” they cried, struggling to contain their elation.